Maharashtra Activates 24/7 Disaster Response Cell After Rain Deaths In Thane And State

Following 16 rain-related deaths across the state, including in Thane, the Maharashtra government has activated a coordinated, 24/7 multi-agency disaster-response mechanism to handle the ongoing severe rain crisis. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a high alert for the next 48 hours on Monday, with a massive rainfall warning active until July 8.

The response is centered at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) at Mantralaya in Mumbai. The SEOC, formerly known as the Disaster Management Cell, is functioning as a 24/7 nodal coordination centre. It links the state government with district administrations, municipal corporations, central agencies, and emergency forces, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Railways, and the Central Water Commission.

On Monday, Chief Minister Fadnavis visited the SEOC alongside Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan and Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal. During the visit, Fadnavis held a video conference with district collectors, instructing state and district administrations to remain on high alert.

The activation of this mechanism comes after the state faced criticism over 16 rain-related deaths and the closure of major highways due to landslides. The casualties include six people killed in a landslide at Mankhurd on July 5, and two lives lost in another landslide in Patal village in Pune’s Maval taluka. The remaining deaths were registered across Thane, Palghar, Satara, and Raigad due to landslides, tree falls, house collapses, and drowning.

To manage the crisis, Fadnavis directed the Nashik administration to prepare contingency plans, including evacuation plans for vulnerable areas, in anticipation of up to 300 mm of rainfall in the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar belt on Tuesday. NDRF teams have been shifted to high-alert areas, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams will be deployed to backfill relocated units. Minister Girish Mahajan will oversee operations in Nashik.

Additionally, ministers are being deputed to major disaster sites. Mahajan was sent to the Mankhurd landslide site, while Public Works Department Minister Shivendraraje Bhosale inspected a landslide near the Connecting Link tunnel on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

SEOC officials noted that improved weather forecasting from the Bharat Forecast System and the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has allowed the state to issue earlier alerts to district administrations, enabling a quicker response this monsoon season.