Maha floods: Pawar speaks to PM, seeks more discharge from

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Friday evening that he sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to ensure that Karnataka discharged enough water from Almatti dam, so that floodwaters upstream in Western Maharashtra receded quicker.

Modi assured him that he would speak to chief ministers of both the states, Pawar told PTI.

Floods have ravaged five districts of Western Maharashtra, displacing some 2.85 lakh people.

Pawar said he requested Modi over phone to ensure that Karnataka released five lakh cusec water from Almatti dam on the Krishna river -- the river is in spate in Maharashtra -- so that floodwaters receded quickly in Sangli and Kolhapur districts.

The dam is situated downstream in Karnataka.

"Karnataka is not releasing 5 lakh cusec water (as demanded by Maharashtra) and therefore the water level in Sangli remains the same," Pawar said.

According to Maharashtra officials, the discharge from Almatti had increased to 4.5 lakh cusec by Friday evening.

"I requested Modi to intervene so that the situation in Sangli improves," Pawar added.

The flood-hit region was agriculturally important and so it was crucial that the floodwaters receded fast, the former Union agriculture minister said.

"He (Modi) assured he will speak to both the chief ministers," Pawar said.