Unplanned urbanisation, encroachment behind Vasai-Virar flooding: Ganesh Naik

Palghar, Jul 10 (PTI) The recent flooding in the Vasai-Virar region in Maharashtra’s Palghar district is the result of unplanned urbanisation and encroachments on natural drains, rather than just heavy rainfall, Forest and Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik has said. He said a comprehensive flood mitigation action plan will be drafted within 15 to 20 days using satellite and drone surveys. Naik visited several worst-hit areas, including Nalasopara, Naigaon, Sasunavghar, and Safale on Thursday and interacted with the public. Addressing a press conference, he said a joint meeting with senior officials from the railways, National Highways Authority of India, state departments and civic administrations will be convened soon to execute long-term flood-control measures. To provide immediate relief, the minister directed officials to conduct damage assessments on priority. Financial assistance will be distributed swiftly to citizens who lost household items, educational materials, and essentials, he said. Unplanned urbanisation and encroachments on natural drains, rather than just heavy rainfall, are behind the situation in Vasai-Virar, he said. About electricity supply disruptions, he said that power stations and distribution panels in many areas were submerged. “Restoring power before the water recedes completely is dangerous, but the distribution company has been instructed to expedite repairs safely,” he said. As part of long-term measures, the government will focus on implementing underground drainage systems and strictly regulating unplanned constructions, said Naik. Naik added that the state aims to plant 300 crore trees to increase Maharashtra’s forest cover from 21 per cent to 33 per cent. High-tech tissue-culture nurseries are being established across Konkan, Vidarbha, and other regions to support this initiative, he said. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited has restored electricity to more than 2 lakh consumers in the flood-ravaged region within 12 hours of floodwaters receding, officials said. Incessant rains battered Palghar district, bordering Mumbai, earlier this week, inundating several neighbourhoods and submerging railway tracks, affecting Western Railway services. PTI COR NR