Maharashtra: Double whammy for western districts hit by Covid, rain

A road at Jakaat naka in Panhala, Kolhapur district caved in on Friday. Pic tweeted by Kolhapur police

Four districts of the state with a very high caseload of Covid-19 are now being battered by heavy rain too. Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Pune are dealing with floods and landslides which need massive rescue and relief operations involving thousands of people who cannot compulsorily follow the pandemic protocol like physical distancing even if they wish to.

Of the state's 94,168 active cases on July 22, these four districts together had 44,515 cases.

The floods also pose a grave threat to the healthcare of patients who are being treated in hospitals and in home isolation. Both rural and urban centres have been equally hit. The situation in Kolhapur and Sangli towns wasn't too good on Friday.

On Thursday, Satara had 7,210 active cases, Sangli 10,737 and Kolhapur 10,701 - collectively making up 28,648 cases. Pune, which shares a border with Satara, had 15,869 active cases. The stubborn caseload in these districts has been a cause of worry ahead of the state's unlock efforts, and a possibility of a third wave.

In the coastal belt, Ratnagiri and Raigad districts are also hit by heavy rains and have a comparatively lesser number of active cases than their western Maharashtra counterparts, but the numbers are still higher than most districts in Maharashtra.

The concern was discussed when Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reviewed the relief and rescue operations on Friday. "The districts in western Maharashtra have a higher infection rate. Now we have a flood situation to tackle. I urge people in the rescue and relief operation to wear masks," he said in a statement.

44,515
No. of Covid cases in the four districts collectively on July 22