Unprecedented May rains in three Pune tehsils, says Dy CM Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar visited Baramati tehsil in Pune district on Monday to take stock of the rains, which he said were "unprecedented" for May.

Heavy rains lashed Baramati, Indapur and Daunda tehsils on Sunday, prompting the National Disaster Response Force to deploy two specialised teams on the urgent request of the district collector. The May rain recorded in the three tehsils are unprecedented in the last 50 years, Pawar said while carrying out an inspection of affected areas with Collector Jitendra Dudi. "The average rainfall of these three tehsils was around 14 inches for the entire monsoon season but yesterday, in Shetfalgadhe in Indapur tehsil, 13 inches rainfall was recorded in a few hours. The havoc was due to such heavy rains and then a breach at Nira canal near Nimtek in Baramati tehsil. The IMD has issued a red alert for this region on May 28," said Pawar. During the inspection, the team is assessing damage to crops and houses, the NCP leader added. Incidentally, Indapur, Daund and Baramati tehsils are generally considered rain deficient. On Sunday evening, rainwater entered several homes in 70 villages in Indapur, as well as 150 homes in Baramati, forcing local authorities to immediately shift residents to safety, police and district officials said. A stretch of the Pune-Solapur highway near Indapur remained closed for about two hours due to waterlogging but traffic resumed after the water receded. In a release issued late Sunday evening, the NDRF said it deployed two specialized teams to conduct rescue and relief operations in Baramati and Indapur. "In Baramati, 19 homes suffered partial damage. In Katewadi, a family of seven stranded in their waterlogged home was rescued by locals and officials. In Jalochi village, one Rupesh Singh, stranded in a stream after his motorcycle was swept away, was rescued by the fire brigade," it added.