Marathwada has not seen such heavy rainfall in 50-60 years: minister Girish Mahajan

Mumbai, Sep 23 (PTI) The Marathwada region of Maharashtra has not witnessed such intense rainfall in more than 50 years as it has experienced over the past few days, state Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan said on Tuesday.

Eight persons have died and hundreds of houses and several roads have been damaged in the region since September 20, officials said earlier in the day.

"The situation is very grim, I do not have words to express the devastation the heavy rainfall has caused," Mahajan told reporters in flood-affected Dharashiv district.

"This is a natural calamity. In the last 50, 60 or even 70 years, such rainfall has never been recorded in this region. The unprecedented downpour has washed away the fertile upper layer of soil. Several villages are surrounded by floodwaters, and people have lost cattle and other livestock in large numbers. Agriculture and people have suffered unprecedented damage," he said.

The administration's priority was to rescue stranded people and shift them to safer places, while damage assessment too was underway, the minister further said.

"Farmers have not only lost standing crops, but with the fertile soil washed away, it will be very difficult for them to cultivate their lands in the next season. This is a long-term damage, and the government will take appropriate decisions (to provide relief)," he added.

Agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne had said earlier that the scale of destruction was staggering. "Our preliminary estimate indicated that 63.51 lakh acres of agricultural land is completely damaged across Maharashtra," he said. PTI ND KRK