Rain havoc in Marathwada: 8 dead, houses and crops damaged

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Sep 23 (PTI) Eight persons died, while hundreds of houses were damaged over the last four days as rains wreaked havoc in the usually parched Marathwada region of Maharashtra, officials said on Tuesday.

The state cabinet reviewed the situation at a meeting in Mumbai, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assuring that the government was working to provide relief to farmers and others.

More than 750 houses and crops on over 33,000 hectares were damaged in Dharashiv district, where helicopters and boats had to be deployed to rescue stranded people, they said.

Incessant rains have been lashing several pockets of Marathwada since September 20, swelling up dams, prompting authorities to discharge water from them.

Eight persons died since September 20, including three in Latur, two in Beed and one each in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nanded and Dharashiv due to lightning strike, drowning and other reasons, a revenue official said.

A road and two schools were damaged in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, while three bridges were affected in Jalna and Beed. Five small dams were also damaged due to floods in Marathwada.

In Dharashiv, 159 villages were affected and 186 livestock perished, while other districts like Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna and Beed also faced a flood-like situation, officials said.

The Dharashiv district administration used boats and helicopters to rescue the stranded villagers, as per the officials.

As many as 129 revenue circles across the Marathwada region witnessed heavy downpour in the last 24 hours, they said.

Speaking in Mumbai, Fadnavis said the government was working to provide relief to farmers and others who have been affected by floods.

A rainfall of 975.05 mm was recorded over the last four-five days which was 102 per cent of the average rainfall, he told reporters.

The cabinet reviewed the rain situation and guardian ministers have been asked to visit the affected areas, Fadnavis said, adding he will be visiting flood-hit areas on Wednesday.

"Rescue operations are still ongoing in Beed and Dharashiv. The NDRF has rescued 27 persons in Dharashiv, and 200 people have been shifted to safer places. Disaster management minister Girish Mahajan is at the spot to oversee rescue and relief operations. The administration will seek more helicopters for rescue efforts," the chief minister said.

"Farmers are being given relief as and when panchnamas (damage inspection reports) are completed. Some 31.64 lakh farmers have received aid so far, and Rs 2,215 crore will be disbursed. (Out of this) Rs 1,800 crore has been given to district administrations for disbursal," he said, adding that the aid will be deposited in farmers' accounts in 8 to 10 days.

NCP (SP) chief and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said the government should expedite the process of providing assistance to farmers who have suffered losses due to heavy rains.

Excess rainfall has been recorded in Dharashiv since September 20.

As per a primary loss report of the district administration, 159 village in six talukas are impacted due to the excess rainfall and flooding of rivers.

In Paranda taluka, 96 villages were affected, followed by 53 in Bhum taluka, five in Lohara, three in Vashi and one each in Tuljapur and Kalamb talukas, an official said.

He said 766 houses faced partial damages while five huts were completely destroyed.

Crops on over 33,010 hectares were also damaged. The Dharashiv administration has started conducting the crop loss survey, the official said.

Heavy rains also lashed the catchment areas of Jayakwadi dam in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Majalgaon in Beed since Monday night.

"It was like a cloud burst in some of these areas," a revenue official said.

The two dams were almost full, and water discharge was underway from them due to continuous inflow, he said.

Javlala and Ramoda areas in the catchment of Majalgaon dam received 160 mm and 120 mm rainfall, respectively, since Monday night, the official said.

The areas of Gangapur (46 mm), Paithan (92 mm) and Bhendala (52 mm), in the catchment area of Jayakwadi dam, also received rains, he said.

Moreover, excess rainfall was recorded in Ghansawangi and Ambad talukas of Jalna and Gevrai taluka in Beed, the official said.

This led to swelling of the Godavari river and a flood-like situation at several villages in Chhatrapati Sambajinagar, Jalna and Beed districts, he added.

As many as 129 revenue circles in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Dharashiv, Parbhani and Hingoli districts recorded heavy rainfall (65 mm and above in a single day) over the last 24 hours, he said.

The highest rainfall at 158.25 mm was recorded in Therla revenue circle of Patoda in Beed district, the official said.

The Marathwada region, which comprises eight districts, has received 28.5 per cent more than the average rainfall till date since June 1 this year. The region has recorded 823.8 mm rainfall till Tuesday morning, against the average expected downpour of 640.8 mm for the period, he said.

Dharashiv has recorded 148.8 per cent rainfall at 833.5 mm, against the expected average of 560 mm during the period, the official said. PTI AW MR SPK COR KRK GK