Maharashtra floods: Mobile system-based tech helped 3.5 lakh people in Kolhapur

A public address system operated through GSM technology helped as many as 35 lakh people in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra to protect themselves as heavy rains triggered floods and caused waterlogging in many areas over the last few days guardian minister Satej Patil has saidMore than 75000 people have been shifted to safer places in Kolhapur so far Patil said in a statementLearning its lessons from the devastating 2019 floods the Kolhapur administration recently installed a GSM Global System for Mobile Communicationbased public address system at 57 places in Shirol and Karvir tehsilsThe system has been funded from the annual plan of the District Planning Committee which is headed by PatilThis system activated during floods triggered by heavy rains directed people to take necessary precautions such as not venturing out of their homes and shifting to safer places if requiredThe system was installed in 21 villages in Karavir tehsil and 36 villages in Shirol tehsil These villages face the risk of flooding during the monsoon every yearThe system has benefited 35 lakh people as they received timely intimation about the potential risk of the flood Villagers were informed about their shifting to safer places in advance and it helped the administration in the smooth transition of villagers Similarly they were also informed about the precautions they require to take during heavy rainfall and waterlogging said Patil also MoS for Home and IT MaharashtraAlso read Maha floods Kolhapur Satara Sangli still critical around 1 lakh people evacuated says Ajit PawarHe said this system is operated from the District Disaster Management Control Room or other offices of the district collectorateSpeaking about its advantages Patil said besides the low cost of operation the system runs on solar power and does not require electricity which is an added advantage given that power outage during natural disasters is a common occurrencePatil said seven people have died in rainrelated incidents in the Kolhapur district so far while more than 75000 people have been shifted to safer placesSix teams of the NDRF and a column of the Army carried out rescue operations in the floodhit areas he saidMeanwhile as the intensity of rains has reduced the water level of the Panchganga river at the Rajaram weir near Kolhapur city further dipped to 5310 feet at 9 pm on SaturdayThe vehicular traffic on the MumbaiBengaluru highway however remains closed as a stretch near Shiroli village in the district is still submergedTalking about the evacuation Patil told reporters that 67111 people from floodaffected areas chose to go to their relatives places while over 8000 were shifted to government sheltersThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever