History and climate change[edit]

Starting on 22 July 2021, Maharashtra saw heavy rainfall in many of its western districts. On 23
July 2021, NDTV reported that Maharashtra saw the highest rainfall in the month of July in 40
years.[2]
Climate change could have played an important role in causing large-scale floods across
Maharashtra.[3] The observed data shows a three-fold rise in widespread extreme rainfall
events across India, including those regions where the floods occurred. The local
meteorological conditions showed the presence of a low pressure system in the Bay of Bengal,
anchoring the monsoon westerlies blowing from the Arabian Sea. These westerlies brought in
an anomalous amount of moisture from the warm Arabian Sea, releasing them as heavy-to-
extreme rains across Maharashtra over a week's time.[4] In April 2021, Potsdam Institute for
Climate Impact Research reported about climate change heavily impacting the monsoon
seasons in India.[5]

Impact and rescue operations[edit]

Water being released from Koyna Dam

Road destroyed in floods near Satara

Food and other essential items being distributed by voluntary organization to affected people.

The most affected regions are the districts

of Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur.[6] Due to heavy rains, more than
1,020 villages are affected in these districts. Over 375,000 people have been evacuated, of
whom around 206,000 are from Sangli district and around 150,000 from Kolhapur district.
[6]
 There have been more than 28,700 poultry deaths and around 300 other animal deaths in
Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Sindhudurg districts.[6] Initial estimates state that over
2 lakh (200,000) hectares of crop have been damaged in the floods. [7]
Various infrastructural facilities were impacted and damaged. Around 800 bridges have been
submerged, preventing physical communications with various villages. [8] The drinking water
supply of around 700 villages was affected and the rainfall also caused damage to about
14,700 electric transformers, affecting the power supply to nearly 9.5 lakh (950,000)
consumers. As of 28 July 2021, the power supply to about 6.5 lakh (650,000) consumers was
restored through repairs of nearly 9500 transformers. [6]
Around 34 teams from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed for rescue
missions in various regions.[1] The Central Government on 27 July 2021 declared financial aid
of ₹700 crore (US$98 million)[9] The Maharashtra state's MLAs of Bharatiya Janata Party also
announced that they would donate one month's salary for relief support. [10]