Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, September 15 – The Marathwada region of Maharashtra is grappling with a severe flood situation after an intense bout of heavy rainfall. The India Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army have been called in to assist with rescue and relief operations in the worst-affected areas, including Beed district’s Ashti taluka, where an Army unit from Pune has been deployed.
On Monday, an IAF chopper, summoned from Nashik, successfully rescued eleven members of a family who were stranded in a flooded area in Sheri Khurd, near Kada village in Ashti. Officials reported that as many as 51 people are still awaiting evacuation across various villages, prompting the mobilization of a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team.
The relentless downpour, which began Sunday night, has sent several rivers into spate and inundated low-lying areas across five of Marathwada’s eight districts. The highest rainfall was recorded in Keshegaon circle of Dharashiv district, which received a staggering 105 mm of rain in the 24 hours leading up to Monday morning.
In response to the escalating situation, an orange alert has been issued for Beed and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts, while a yellow alert is in effect for Nanded, Latur, Dharashiv, Parbhani, Hingoli, and Jalna. The Meteorological Department has noted heavy rainfall in 32 revenue circles across these districts.
The floods have already claimed lives. In Hingoli district, two women from Gunda village of Vasmat tragically drowned in the fast-flowing floodwaters.
Despite the devastation, the heavy rainfall has also brought a positive development for the region’s water security. The water stock in Marathwada’s eleven major irrigation projects has surged to 94.36%, a significant increase from 89.32% at the same time last year. In order to manage the rising water levels and prevent dam breaches, authorities have begun discharging water from several reservoirs.
Currently, water is being released at a rate of 1.51 lakh cusecs from ten irrigation projects. The highest discharge is from the Vishnupuri dam in Nanded, where 91,854 cusecs of water are being let out. Similarly, the water discharge from the Manjara irrigation project in Beed has been increased to 17,333 cusecs, and the Majalgaon dam on the Sindphana river has seen its discharge volume raised from 38,651 to 71,248 cusecs.