Rain fury: Over 200 people relocated in Hingoli, crops hit in Nanded

More than 200 persons were relocated and nearly 90 others rescued after heavy rains inundated several areas in Hingoli district of Maharashtra's Marathwada region, while over 2 lakh hectares of land under cultivation got affected in neighbouring Nanded district.

Heavy rains have been pounding parts of the Marathwada region, comprising eight districts, since Sunday. At least four persons have lost their lives in rain-related incidents so far.

According to officials, 45 revenue circles in Nanded district were affected by the downpour. Crops on more than 2 lakh hectares were affected and 25 animals were reported dead.

Crops in Nanded city, Ardhapur, Hadgaon, Degloor, Mudkhed, Kandhar, Loha and Naigaon were badly damaged due to the rains, they said. The crop loss survey will be undertaken after the rain stops, Nanded collector Abhijit Raut said in a release. Bharad, Malegaon and Dabhad revenue circles recorded 170 mm rainfall in just 12 hours on Monday, an official said.

The low-lying areas in Nanded city were inundated due to the incessant showers. In Vasarni's Panchavati Sai baba Kaman area, the water reached up to the second floor of a building and two residents were rescued from there, he said.

As a result of heavy rains in the catchment areas, water was discharged from several dams in Nanded district were opened on Monday, he said.

Fourteen gates of Vishnupuri dam, nine out of 15 gates of Upper Manar project were opened and excess water was released into the Godavari and Manar rivers respectively. The gates of various barrages in Nanded are kept open and discharge is being done to maintain the water level, he said.

In Hingoli district, 218 residents were relocated and 87 people were rescued on Monday.

Two residents. including a 10-year-old child drowned in Sarangwadi village. A resident of Tembhurni of Vasmat tehsil got drowned and his dead body was recovered later on Monday evening, a district disaster management officer from Hingoli told PTI on Tuesday. All 30 revenue circles in Hingoli witnessed heavy rains on Monday and the district recorded average rainfall of 141.70 mm, he said. Seventy-seven cowsheds were lost due to heavy rains and subsequent flooding in the district till Monday. The crop loss survey will be carried out this week, district collector Abhinav Goel told reporters. Hingoli's district guardian minister Abdul Sattar reached the rain-hit villages of Sodegaon, Dongargaon Pul and Sawarkheda on Tuesday morning to take stock of the damages.

Heavy rains lashed villages in 11 revenue circles in four districts of Marathwada region, a revenue department report said. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Sawaladbara circle received 101.50 mm rainfall, the highest in the region on Monday, while Loni, Pishor, Chincholi and Soygaon circles recorded above 65 mm rainfall, as per the official figures.

In Nanded, Ardhapur circle recorded 94.50 mm rainfall, followed by Pimparkhed 69.50 mm and Jaldhara 65.50 mm, the report said.

In Hingoli, 92 mm rainfall was recorded in Amba as well as Kurunda circles. Adgaon circle in Parbhani's Jintur received 77.50 mm rainfall.