Residents near Bhatsa river on alert as dam doors open

Residents of hamlets located on the banks of Bhatsa river in Maharashtra's Thane district were put on alert on Tuesday in the wake of opening of the doors of the Bhatsa dam.

Five doors of the dam were opened due to rise in the water level following heavy rains in the region, an official release said.

"The doors of the dam have been opened to 1.25 metres. Around 444 Cusecs of water has been released from the dam," it stated.

One Cusec roughly equals to flow of water at the rate of one cubic foot per second.

In view of the development, villages and hamlets located on the banks of the river in Shahapur and Murbad talukas have been put on alert.

The dam, which is located in Shahpur taluka, is one of the major sources of water for Mumbai and Thane.