During Monsoon season of 2024, District Disaster Search and Rescue Team and SDRF team rescued more than 100 people and students of residential school from different locations of Sironcha and Gadchiroli block of Gadchiroli District such as Gurwada to kumbha nallah, Sironcha Maal (Suryaravpalli), Chandala, Kumbhi Mokasa, and Ranmul from the flood occurred during 17th – 27th July 2024 and shifted to safer places.
In the year 2024, flood waters reached the flood-prone villages of Ambewadi, Chikhali and Donwade in the district. At that time, disaster management’s Aapda Mitra, Aapda Sakhi and volunteers were safely taking the citizens out of the water, taking them to the hospital and relocating them to a safe place.
On 5th August 2024, a rescue operation was jointly conducted by the District Disaster Management Authority, Nashik district, 201 Army Aviation Squadron of Combat Army Aviation Training School (CATS) Nashik, Volunteers from Bhosala Military Academy and Aapda Mitra to rescue 15 fishermen who had drowned in the flood water of Girna River in Nashik.
Each year, large number of devotees from across Maharashtra and neighbouring states gather to celebrate the Ashadhi, Kartiki, Maagh, and Chaitra Ekadashis, in addition to the daily influx of visitors to pay their respects at the Shri Vitthal Rukmini temple. During the Ashadhi Wari, more than 2 million pilgrims participate in the festivities. Typically, visitors first take darshan (spiritual viewing) of Pundalik before bathing in the river Bhima, locally known as Chandrabhaga. After their bath, they proceed to the temple for the darshan of Vitthal Rukmini. During the religious rituals held at the river, many pilgrims often face the risk of drowning due to overcrowding and the debris beneath the water. To address this issue, the DDMA Solapur leads a Hydrological Search and Rescue operation as part of the Incident Response System for the Pandharpur Yatra. This branch is responsible for deploying rescue teams that specialize in drowning prevention and recovery in the Chandrabhaga River for the duration of the Waris. Utilizing various search and rescue techniques, these teams have successfully maintained a zero drowning casualty rate during the Waris.
Drone surveillance has been used in the Solapur district for disaster response on multiple occasions. In 2021, a fire at the Solapur Municipal Corporation dumping yard, located 1 kilometer from Solapur City, was controlled, but embers continued to emit air pollutants. The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) provided technical support as the yard spans about 45 acres, making visual assessments difficult. A drone was deployed to identify high-risk fire zones, which were then divided into smaller sections using JCBs to facilitate effective fire extinguishing efforts. Similarly, during the Ashadhi Wari of the Pandharpur Yatra on July 17, 2024, a drone was used for aerial surveillance of the crowd. This helped police manage crowd flow, and the night thermal footage assisted Hydrological Search and Rescue Teams in locating devotees vulnerable to accidental drowning in the River Chandrabhaga.
