In the last 10 days, there have been at least 19 rain-related fatalities in Vidarbha, Maharashtra, where about 4,500 homes have suffered rain damage, according to authorities.
Around 54,000 hectares of agricultural land were also impacted by the recent rains, of which more than 53,000 hectares are in the Amravati division alone. As a result, 2,796 individuals, largely from the Yavatmal district, were relocated to safer areas, they said.
Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, said on Sunday that the state administration was completely prepared to address problems brought on by the copious rainfall.
Gadchiroli and Bhandara districts in the Nagpur division each had three fatalities, Wardha and Gondia two apiece, and Chandrapur one since July 13, according to authorities.
On July 21, the Amravati division reported five fatalities in a single day, with Yavatmal leading the way with three fatalities and Akola and Buldhana following with one apiece. Three people were drowned on July 22 in the Amravati area after being carried away by floodwaters.
Amravati and Nagpur are the two divisions that comprise Vidarbha’s eleven districts. While the Amravati division consists of Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal, Washim, and Buldhana, the Nagpur division includes the districts of Nagpur, Gondia, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, and Wardha.
Parts of Vidarbha have been experiencing heavy rainfall for the previous several days.
In the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Sunday, Akola recorded 107.9 mm rainfall, followed by Yavatmal-24.0 mm, Wardha-23.4 mm, Amravati- 15.6 mm, Nagpur-6.7 mm, Gadchiroli-3.0 mm, Gondia-2.2 mm, Brahmpuri (in Chandrapur)-2.4 mm and Buldhana-2.0 mm, as per the Regional Meteorological Centre in Nagpur.
Anil Patil, the state’s minister of relief and rehabilitation, went to Yavatmal on Sunday to assess the situation.
Speaking at a news conference there, he said that on July 21, three people perished in rain-related accidents in the Yavatmal area. Additionally, he declared that each dead person’s family will get Rs. 4 lakh in aid.
More than 1,600 flood-affected households in the area are to get food grains and Rs 5,000 in aid right now, per Patil’s directive to the district administration.
On Saturday, floods in the villages of Akola Ba and Savar claimed the lives of two people; one of the corpses has not yet been found, according to the district government.
In addition, a lady in the district’s Waghadi hamlet died after her home fell, according to the report.
According to authorities, a 32-year-old guy drowned in a river in Akola, while a 47-year-old male died in Buldhana.
On Saturday, three people in the Amravati area perished after being carried away by floodwaters. According to authorities, three of them—a 32-year-old male from Jalkapat, a 20-year-old guy from Jamapur, and a 37-year-old woman from Morshi taluka—died.
On Sunday night in the Chandurbazaar tehsil of Amravati, a 22-year-old man drowned in a river. He was the subject of a search, an official said.
According to the main report from the Amravati divisional commissionerate, the rainfall and floods on July 21 had an impact on 53,056 hectares of agricultural land.
According to the report, 2,882 homes total—1,432 in Yavatmal, 1,424 in Akola, 14 in Washim, and 12 in Amravati—were damaged as a result of rain and floods in the Amravati division.
In the Amravati division, 49 animals also perished as a result of flooding and lightning, it was noted.
According to a preliminary assessment from the authorities, 875.84 hectares of agricultural land in the Nagpur division were hit by the rain, including 853.74 hectares in Chandrapur and 22.1 hectares in Wardha. According to them, this sector suffered damage to more than 1,600 homes.
About 110 persons who were trapped by floodwaters in the Mahagaon tehsil’s Anandnagar Tanda hamlet in Yavatmal district were rescued on Saturday.
In several regions of Yavatmal, the flood levels subsided on Sunday, and the intensity of the rain also decreased, according to authorities.
On Saturday, close to 100 residents from Buldhana were relocated to the hamlet of Katargaon in the Sangrampur tehsil.
Senior authorities said that there was no flooding in the area on Sunday.
The Amravati region may have heavy rainfall, while other areas of Vidarbha are anticipated to experience gloomy weather, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Three people perished in the area, according to Yavatmal Collector Amol Yedge, while 1,426 homes were destroyed by the rain and water.
The collector said that although 6,275 individuals were moved to temporary housing and given food, around 280 people were successfully rescued from the flood waters.
Speaking to media at Nagpur Airport, Deputy CM Fadnavis stated that in only two to three days, certain areas of the state have seen rainfall equivalent to 15 to 20 days’ worth on average.
He said personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and its state equivalent SDRF were being rapidly dispatched as and when necessary. Weather warnings are being sent to the administration of regions where heavy rainfall is anticipated.