The drought -hit Marathwada region of Central Maharashtra has been receiving heavy rains for the last four days, killing eight people and flooding 159 villages of Dharashiv district. Officials said that the area has not received such heavy rainfall for more than 50 years. More than 750 houses have been damaged, 186 cattle have been killed, while more than 33,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed. Due to heavy rains, three bridges in Jalna and Beed, two schools in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and five small dams in Marathwada have also collapsed. State Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan, looking at the seriousness of the disaster, said, “The situation is very serious. So much rain has never been recorded in the last 50-70 years. The villages have never been submerged in the water. Fertile soils have flowed and farmers’ crops and cattle have been wasted.
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Agriculture Minister Dattatreya Bharne said that 63.51 lakh acres of agricultural land has been destroyed in the whole of Maharashtra, which makes the level of damage in the agricultural sector clear. The authorities had to release water due to heavy rains in the catchment areas of Jaikwadi and Majalgaon dams, causing rivers in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna and Beed to rise and worsened the flood situation. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed about the ongoing rescue operations in Dharashiv and Beed. He said, “The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has saved 27 people in Dharashiva and 200 people have been transported to safe places.
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From June 1, Marathwada has received 28.5 percent more rainfall than average, with 148 percent more rainfall than normal. The government has announced Rs 2,215 crore for the affected farmers, out of which 31.64 lakh farmers have already got assistance. At the same time, opposition leaders have criticized the administration and demanded early compensation to help the farmers facing crop and soil loss for a long time.