Marathwada: Downpour ends years of drought but damages crops

Mumbai: Marathwada, the central Maharashtra region which faced severe droughts in the last four years, now has a problem of plenty with incessant rains causing flooding in many parts. Rains have been lashing all the eight districts of the region in the last one week , damaging Kharif crops, state authorities said. Almost all the major and medium dams including Manjra, Ujani and Terna are overflowing for the first time since 2010. [caption id=“attachment_3031776” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Overflowing dam in Beed. Twitter @punkajamunde[/caption] Heavy rains lashing the region led to flood like situation in Latur, Beed and Nanded districts, though the State Disaster Management Unit (SDMU) in a statement issued on Sunday evening stated that rains had now stopped and floodwaters had begun to recede. Heavy rain threw vehicular traffic out of gear on Aurangabad-Solapur national highway. A swollen Terna river near Ujjani village in Ausa tehsil of Latur district cut off all links to the village and nearby areas. The heavy rains also led to foggy conditions in parts of Osmanabad district. As per the rainfall statistic released by the SDMU for June to September this year for Marathwada, barring Aurangabad (87.2 percent) and Hingoli (98.9 percent), rest of the districts – Jalna, Beed, Latur, Osmanabad, Nanded and Parbhani – have recorded rainfall in excess of 100 percent. Average annual rainfall for Aurangabad division for June-September period is 721.2 mm; this year the rainfall has been 780.4 mm, 108.2 percent of the average. Latur which had received drinking water by railway wagons in April-May has recorded rainfall of 949.6 mm against average of 725.3 mm. Since the morning, Latur district has recorded a rainfall of 73.9 mm. Across the state, Konkan division with 114.7 percent rainfall is at the top of the table. The average rainfall in Konkan region is 2,961 mm, whereas this year the actual rainfall has been 3,397.7 mm, followed by Aurangabad division at 108.2 percent, Pune at 94.8 percent, Amravati division at 93.4 percent, Nashik 87.2 percent and Nagpur at 84 per cent. SDMU issued a weather forecast today that there will be one or two heavy showers in Mumbai and suburban areas. The forecast predicts a decrease in rainfall activity by Monday in the interior parts of the state, but a likelihood of heavy rain continuing in North Konkan districts. The spell of heavy rainfall comes just before the state cabinet’s weekly meeting on October 4 at Aurangabad. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had tweeted on Sunday night that National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) platoons had been sent to Latur and Nanded, and helicopters of Indian Air Force were on stand-by. In all 1,265 people who were stranded in various parts of Latur district were evacuated to safer places.