Several low-lying areas of Nagpur have been inundated after heavy rains battered the city on Friday night.
According to reports, people of Nagpur, especially those living close to the Nag and Pili rivers, woke up to flooded homes on Friday night. Many people have shifted to safer places as rains continue to pour down on Saturday morning. According to the weather department, Nagpur airport reported 106 mm of rainfall till 5.30 am.
Speaking to the Times of India, the fire services officials said they have been receiving multiple calls about floodwaters entering homes. Residents of certain areas rushed to the terraces of their buildings to save their lives after they woke up with water gushing into homes with great force, they said.
Several roads and residential areas have been flooded and the administration has declared a holiday for schools as a precautionary measure. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation has advised people not to step out of their homes unless for important work. Owing to the incessant rainfall, the Ambazari dam is overflowing, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said. “15 people have been rescued till now, there is an alert till evening,” he told ANI
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force have also been deployed.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is from Nagpur, took to X to share that he is continuously monitoring the rain situation in the city. The deputy CM has instructed the Nagpur collector, municipal commissioner and police commissioner to immediately activate multiple teams for rescuing people who are stuck at few places, Fadnavis's office said.
According to IMD alert, severe/moderate thunderstorm with lightning will likely continue at isolated places in Nagpur, Bhandara and Gondia districts. There is also a possibility of intense rain at isolated places.