Armed forces deployed for flood relief operations in Maharashtra
The Indian Armed Forces are geared up to carry out flood relief operations in Maharashtra, as unprecedented rains intensified the flow of water in various rivers and flooded several districts of the state. Ratnagiri, Raigad, Pune, Satara, Kolhapur and Sangli districts are currently affected. The Indian Air Force said that at around 1.30 pm on Thursday, they received a message about the need for flood relief operations in the towns of Chiplun and Khed in Ratnagiri district.
When the weather allowed, the Mi-17 helicopter took off from Mumbai for Ratnagiri at 3.40 pm and landed there at 5 pm. Bad weather did not allow any further operations on Thursday evening. “Operations resumed today with one helicopter stationed at Ratnagiri along with another helicopter from Mumbai,” the force said. An NDRF team of 10 personnel with a weight of about one tonne has also been dispatched to Ratnagiri by the Indian Air Force.
On Friday, a helicopter took off from Ratnagiri at 11:35 pm and rescued two people before landing back at Ratnagiri. The IAF has also deployed two Mi-17V5S and two Mi-17S for flood relief operations. Another helicopter is on stand-by in Pune for any emergent requirement. Further, based on a request received from the Government of Maharashtra, the Western Naval Command of the Indian Navy at Mumbai mobilized flood rescue teams and helicopters to provide assistance to the state administration.
Despite adverse weather conditions and widespread flooding in the affected areas, a total of seven naval rescue teams on Thursday left Mumbai by road for deployment in Ratnagiri and Raigad districts. The work of airlifting the stranded people from Raigad district has also been started. One Seeking 42C Helo from INS Shikara left for rescue operations at Poladpur and Raigad early Friday. Additional flood rescue teams are being kept at a high level of readiness in Mumbai for immediate deployment if required.
In addition, the Indian Army has mobilized flood relief and rescue teams to assist the local administration in the flood-affected areas based on requests from the civil administration.
