Nagpur: A Catholic church in central India was heavily damaged in floods on Thursday.
Nagpur, the winter capital of the western Indian state of Maharashtra, experienced heavy rains since Wednesday morning. This caused damages at several places, including St. Pius X Church at Mankapur, a suburb.
Heavy rains forced the authorities to open the shutters of a nearby dam. This led to water level of ‘Nala’ to rise, leading to floods. The floods damaged the church walls, religious articles and sound system.
Nagpur, the third largest city of the western Indian state after Mumbai and Pune, received heavy rainfall since Wednesday evening, but no flood was expected.
No one could reach the church since the entire area was under several feet of water.
Parish priest Fr. Thomas Thennath and his assistant Fr. Saiju Mullapallil tried to salvage things from the church.”There was so much water with so much pressure it broke the side windows around the foundation of the building and came in there,” Father Thennath told Matters India. He said that water level was up to his waist. His room was flooded with sewage water and his books and other valuable things were damaged.
Father Mullapallil said the floods entered part of the front side of the church, sacristy and the presbytery.
After rains stopped and water level receded, parishioner cane to clean the place, the parish said.
Parish youth commission president Joisy said the church’s front portion used to be under water when it rained heavily in the past. “This is the first time water came up to five feet high,” she told Matters India.
Sacristan Jose said that water from sewage spoiled all the sacred vestments and the church’s inside is filled with mud and dirt.
Fr. Thennath said that it would take a week to reset the church and surroundings. He also regretted all his neighbors were also severely affected by the floods.
Archbishop Abraham Viruthakulangara of Nagpur had rushed to the area hearing the news about the flood. But he could not could not reach the church due to the clogged roads.