Marathwada rains: More than 2200 persons shifted in Nanded; roads and bridges affected in Latur

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Aug 28 (PTI) More than 2200 persons have been shifted to safety amid heavy rainfall in Nanded and Latur districts of Maharashtra, officials said on Thursday.

Seventeen revenue circles in Mukhed, Kandhar and Naygaon faced heavy rainfall, with the highest, 115 millimetres, being recorded in Biloli and Narsi areas in Nanded, while 29 circles in Latur recorded rainfall of above 65 mm, they informed.

"In Nanded, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams were sent to villages in Degloor after water entered several homes in Dharmabad, Naygaon and Kandhar this morning. Road links to Gonar, Jakepur, Rui and Kandharewadi villages have been affected due to the rains," a local official said.

"As a precautionary measure, 2236 persons from 871 households in Sangvi Umar, Medankallur, Shelgaon and Tamlur villages were shifted to safety by the Nanded administration. At present, 3.63 lakh cusec (cubic foot per second) water is being released from eight projects of Nanded. These include Vishnupuri, Yeldari and Siddheshwar dams," the official added.

In Latur, 29 out of 60 revenue circles faced excess rainfall, that is above 65 mm in a single day, another official said.

Many bridges are inundated and 41 roads have been closed for traffic in Ausa, Nilanga, Latur and Udgir talukas due to heavy rains, he said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued 'orange' alert for Nanded, Latur and Dharashiv for Thursday, and 'yellow' alert for Nanded on Friday, he said.

As per the IMD's colour codes, a green code is for less than 64 mm of rain in a 24-hour period, while a 'yellow' alert is issued when expected rainfall is in the 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm range. An 'orange' alert is issued when 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm rain is expected in a single day.

A 'red' alert denotes rain in excess of 204.5 mm in a single day. PTI AW BNM