Disasters in Maharashtra: floods, landslides, drought, earthquakes

In the early hours of 30 September 1993, while many people in the villages of Latur and Osmanabad (now Dharashiv) were asleep after the Ganesh festival, an earthquake struck near Killari. Stone houses with heavy roofs collapsed, killing thousands. The Latur earthquake changed how India thinks about earthquakes in "stable" regions, about rebuilding, and about community participation in recovery.

Maharashtra faces almost every type of hazard — earthquakes, floods, landslides, cyclones, drought, heatwaves — along with urban and industrial disasters. For MPSC, you need both the events and the lessons.

Maharashtra's hazard profile

Earthquakes

Koyna (1967)

On 11 December 1967, an earthquake struck near the Koyna dam in Satara district, causing deaths and damage in Koynanagar. It is widely discussed as an example of reservoir-induced seismicity — earthquakes triggered by the filling of large reservoirs — though the link is still studied. The Koyna region is in a higher seismic zone than most of Maharashtra.

Latur (Killari) (1993)

• Date: 30 September 1993.
• Epicentre: near Killari, Latur district.
• Magnitude: about 6.2–6.4 (sources differ).
• Deaths: thousands; figures commonly cited range around 8,000–10,000.

Why was it so deadly for a moderate earthquake?

• It struck a region then considered low risk, so houses were not designed for earthquakes.
• Traditional houses had thick stone walls and heavy roofs of mud and timber, which collapsed on sleeping families.
• It struck at night.

Lessons:

• India's seismic zoning map was revised; the region was placed in a higher zone.
• The Maharashtra Emergency Earthquake Rehabilitation Programme, supported by the World Bank, rebuilt villages with earthquake-resistant designs.
• It highlighted the value of owner-driven reconstruction and community participation.

Floods

Mumbai, 26 July 2005

• Santacruz recorded about 944 mm of rain in 24 hours — one of the heaviest single-day rainfalls recorded in India.
• Hundreds died across Maharashtra; the city was paralysed.

Causes:

• extreme rainfall coinciding with high tide;
• blocked and inadequate drains (the old storm-water system);
• encroachment on the Mithi river and loss of mangroves;
• plastic waste choking drains.

Response: the BRIMSTOWAD project to upgrade storm-water drains; widening and cleaning of the Mithi river; a ban on some plastics; Doppler weather radars.

Kolhapur–Sangli floods (2019 and 2021)

In August 2019 and July 2021, extreme rainfall in the Sahyadri caused severe floods in the Krishna basin — especially Kolhapur and Sangli. Debates focused on:

• extreme rain in a short period;
• dam operations and coordination with Karnataka's Almatti dam downstream;
• encroachment on floodplains and blue/red flood lines;
• siltation of rivers.

The state appointed expert committees to study the causes and recommend measures.

Landslides

Causes: very heavy rainfall; steep slopes; deforestation; changes in land use; road cutting; and — at Malin — changes to slopes linked to land-levelling work were discussed.

Measures: landslide hazard mapping (with the Geological Survey of India), early warning, relocation of vulnerable villages, slope stabilisation, afforestation.

Cyclones

The Arabian Sea has seen more intense cyclones in recent years.

• Cyclone Nisarga (June 2020): made landfall near Alibag — among the most severe cyclones to hit the Maharashtra coast in many decades.
• Cyclone Tauktae (May 2021): passed along the Konkan coast; a barge (P-305) sank off Mumbai with loss of life.

Drought and heatwaves

• Drought: see our guide on drought and water conservation.
• Heatwaves: Vidarbha and Marathwada regularly exceed 45 °C. Heat action plans — early warnings, shaded rest areas, water, changes in working hours — are being adopted by cities such as Nagpur.

Urban and industrial disasters

Disaster management system

• Disaster Management Act, 2005 — the national framework.
• Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority (MSDMA) — chaired by the Chief Minister.
• District Disaster Management Authorities — chaired by the Collector.
• State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) — alongside NDRF battalions (one is based in Pune).
• State Emergency Operation Centre in Mumbai.
• Maharashtra State Disaster Management Plan.
• Funds: State Disaster Response Fund and State Disaster Mitigation Fund, as per Finance Commission recommendations.

See also our guide on the disaster management framework for MPSC.

Practice

Prelims-style:

1. When did the Latur earthquake occur, and where was its epicentre?
2. Which earthquake is linked to reservoir-induced seismicity?
3. How much rain did Santacruz record on 26 July 2005?
4. Where did the Malin landslide occur?
5. Where did Cyclone Nisarga make landfall?

Mains-style:

• "Most disasters in Maharashtra are natural hazards turned into disasters by human action." Discuss with examples.
• Examine the lessons of the Latur earthquake for rehabilitation and reconstruction.