Maha rains: Water level of rivers in Pune, Sangli rise

School and colleges in Pune will remain closed on Tuesday as heavy rainfall was forcing the release of water from dams into rivers in the district, a senior official said.

District Collector Naval Kishore Ram said the situation remained critical, and the decision to extend the holiday for educational institutions was taken for the safety of students.

"Tomorrow is very important as the situation remains critical in rural as well as some of the urban areas. Compared to Sunday, it has not improved much on Monday as more water has been released from dams near Pune as they are 100 per cent full," Ram said.

He said traffic police had shut six bridges over Mula and Mutha rivers here as a precautionary measure.

Pune Mayor Mukta Tilak said over 600 families had been shifted from low-lying areas since Sunday to various schools.

She said some patients, including 15 on ventilator support, were evacuated after water entered Jupiter Hospital in Wakad area here.

In Sangli, which is one of the five districts that are part of western Maharashtra's Pune Division, the water level in Krishna and Varana rivers was rising due to heavy rains, District Collector Abhijeet Chaudhary said on Monday.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is reaching Sangli soon, he said.