Maharashtra Rains: Latur, Nanded Hit By Flooding; Army Deployed For Rescue

Heavy downpour has disrupted life in Maharashtra’s Latur and Nanded districts, prompting the administration to declare a school holiday on Friday and seek the help of the Army for carrying out rescue operations, officials said. 

Of the 60 revenue circles in Latur, 29 had reported excessive rainfall till Thursday night as water levels in rivers and streams rose, triggering rescue operations, they said. About 50 roads and bridges were shut after water began to flow over the structures. 

With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a yellow alert for Aug 29, District Collector and Disaster Management Authority Chairperson Varsha Thakur-Ghuge has announced a holiday for all schools from class 1 to 12, an official said.

Disaster management teams and local villagers rescued ten persons stranded in flood-hit areas of Shirur Anantpal and Ahmedpur talukas. An Army team has also arrived in Ahmedpur.

In Shirur Anantpal, five persons trapped in a riverside shed and three labourers stuck during bridge construction on the Gharni river were safely rescued. In Ahmedpur’s Kalegaon, one person stranded on a reservoir spillway was also brought to safety, the official said.

In Makni village, locals saved a man after he got swept away while crossing a flooded bridge. He sustained minor injuries and is receiving treatment at Saikripa Hospital in Shirur Tajband.

The Nilanga-Udgir-Dhanegaon stretch of State Highway 238 has been closed due to overflowing waters, and the Nilanga-Udgir road was shut after a bridge on the Manjara River near Shiur got submerged, the official said.

Two roads connecting Tagarkheda to Aurad are also flooded, forcing vehicles to take a detour via Halse-Tambarwadi-Halgara to reach Bidar road.

In Nilanga taluka’s Shelgi village, five bovine animals were killed in a lightning strike around midnight on Thursday.

In Chakur tehsil, 679 students and 40 teachers were stranded at a Kendriya Vidyalaya School, located in a BSF camp, after the school premises got waterlogged. All of them were rescued by BSF jawans on Thursday evening.

Officials said 130 revenue circles in the Marathwada region, including 68 from Nanded and 35 in Latur, received excess rainfall (above 65 mm in a single day) till Friday morning.

Latur district recorded an average rainfall of 91.8 mm in 24 hours ending Friday morning, with Chakur tehsil receiving the highest 152.4 mm of rain.

The Barul circle of Kandar tehsil in Nanded recorded 275 mm of rainfall, while the figure stood at 267 mm in Tuppa and Taroda revenue circles in the district in the 24 hours ending on Friday morning.

In a video message, Nanded Collector Rahul Kardile said that several irrigation-related reservoirs in the district were overflowing. A school holiday has been declared as water has entered many villages, he said.

"It is raining in the catchment areas of Vishnupuri dam. Therefore, those living in low-lying areas of Nanded city should shift to safer locations. An Indian Army team will be coming to Nanded. SDRF and civic teams are active, and people should contact them for help," he added.

The gates of the Manajara dam were lifted to a height of 0.5 metres, following which discharge of 10,482 cusecs of water started in the morning, another official said.

Four spillway gates of the dam have been opened, and a total of 19,218.54 cusecs of water has been released downstream.

The Latur District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has issued a high alert for villages situated along the banks of the Manjara and its tributaries.

Eleven major irrigation projects in Marathwada have an average water stock of 93.72%, said officials. The same day last year, the storage was just 56.63%, they said.