Mumbai, Jul 31 (PTI) Aaditya Thackeray, chief of the Shiv Sena's youth wing, said on Wednesday that instead of debating how the Tiware dam in Ratnagiri district breached, need of the hour was to take measures to protect every dam.

He was interacting with students in Solapur district.

A student asked for his comment on state water conservation minister and Shiv Sena leader Tanaji Sawant's remark that crabs had hollowed out the dam's wall, leading to the breach.

The comment had caused widespread outrage.

"Instead of debating how the dam breached, whether due to crabs or any other reason, the need of the hour is to keep all dams safe and construct new ones in areas which need them," Thackeray said.

The Tiware dam breach earlier this month claimed at least 18 lives as several downstream villages were inundated.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)