By Nirmala Carvalho

Mumbai: Catholic dioceses in Maharashtra have plunged into rescue and relief operations after the western Indian region of Konkan experienced worst floods in four decades.

Downpours lasting several days killed at least 136 people.

Rescue teams struggled through thick sludge and debris July 24 to reach dozens of submerged homes.

Maharashtra state experienced the heaviest rain in July in four decades, experts say. Floods have severely affected hundreds of thousands, while major rivers were in danger of bursting their banks.

A landslide killed 49 people among tribal Katkari in the mission area of the Archdiocese of Bombay in Raigad, one of the most affected districts.

“I express my profound grief and sorrow for the floods,” said Cardinal Oswald Gracias, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and the archbishop of Bombay, speaking to AsiaNews. This, he added, has caused “heavy loss of lives and damage to crops, houses, cattle and property.”

As a result, “I share the anguish of the people affected and wish to express our closeness to them. The Catholic Church will be intensely involved with the relief work.”

Father Pravin D’Souza, diocesan priest in charge of the Jan Kalyan Trust, the charity of the Archdiocese of Bombay, said that aid, emergency medical teams, and religious staff are being sent to the most affected areas.

“As soon as I informed Cardinal Oswald of the disaster, His Eminence requested that all religious personnel rush to the aid of these people, to give comfort to the elderly, children, and vulnerable people, as well as open shelters for the thousands of people who have been left homeless.”

“The Sindhudurg district was battered by heavy rain for more than a week,” Father Melvin Pais, from the Diocese of Sindhudurg (Maharashtra), told AsiaNews.

“The low-lying regions of Sindhudurg were suddenly flooded in the early morning hours and people had to face a lot of hardship and loss”. Many villages “were flooded affecting the lives of thousands of people and displacing many more” who have sought refuge.

Source: asianews.it