One killed, 14 stranded in floodwaters as heavy rains wreak havoc in Maharashtra

Torrential rains over the past 24 hours in several parts of western Maharashtra and the Marathwada region left one person dead and 14 people stranded in floodwaters on Monday.

The fatality occurred due to a lightning strike in Nanded district. While 12 people were stranded in Dharashiv district, two others were trapped due to flooding of the Sina river in Barshi of Solapur district.

An Air Force helicopter from Nashik district has been deployed and a team sent from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Pune to aid in rescue efforts, the Chief Minister’s Office said.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also the Guardian Minister of Beed, instructed officials to deploy NDRF teams in several districts hit by rain, including Dharashiv. “All government agencies are on alert. The government is with the people affected due to rains and will help in every possible way,” he said.

Relentless rain

The Marathwada region, which comprises Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Beed, Hingoli, Jalna, Latur, Nanded, Dharashiv, and Parbhani districts, has been severely impacted by heavy rainfall. According to government data, Dharashiv reported the highest rainfall of 65 mm in the last 24 hours, followed by Beed (48 mm), Jalna (30 mm), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (29 mm), Nanded (20 mm), and Parbhani (17 mm). Solapur district in western Maharashtra recorded rainfall of 53 mm.

In September alone, Dharashiv received 195 mm of rainfall, followed by Beed (183 mm), Nanded (179 mm), Solapur and Latur (173 mm), Parbhani (167 mm), Jalna (159 mm), and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (155 mm). This is the second time in two months that parts of Marathwada and western Maharashtra have faced a flood-like situation, severely affecting farmers. Amid the kharif season, soybean, cotton, tur, moong, urad, jowar, turmeric, and banana crops have been hit.

Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makarand Jadhav-Patil announced a financial aid package of ₹689.52 crore for farmers, with ₹553.48 crore allocated for Nanded, providing 100% compensation.

Agriculture Minister Dattatrey Barne said the government is committed to supporting the affected farmers. “We are doing the panchnama (documentation of losses). The rainfall has not stopped and some areas are still affected. Once the rain stops, the government will announce further compensation. In the coming 15 days, things will be resolved,” he said.