Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Rain-related incidents have claimed the lives of 86 persons across eight districts of the Marathwada region in Maharashtra so far during the ongoing monsoon season, officials said.
The region in the central part of the state comprises Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Latur, Parbhani, Nanded, Hingoli, Beed and Dharashiv districts.
Flooding caused by heavy rains destroyed crops on lakhs of acres in this region and claimed the lives of some people in the past few days.
“Excessive rainfall was recorded multiple times in various pockets of Marathwada. On September 20, flooding occurred in the districts of Dharashiv, Latur, and Beed, leaving crops over lakhs of hectares of land under water,” an official said.
Rain-related incidents this year have claimed the lives of 86 persons in Marathwada between June 1 and 25 September. Nanded reported the highest toll of 26 deaths, the official said, citing a revised report issued by the divisional commissioner’s office. The death figures stood at 15 in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, followed by 11 each in Hingoli and Beed, Jalna (7), Latur and Parbhani (6 each) and four in Dharashiv.
The region also recorded the death of 1,725 animals during the ongoing monsoon season, it said. Nanded witnessed the maximum loss with the death of 569 animals during the June 1 to September 25 period, the official said.
Crops on 23.96 lakh hectares of land were damaged due to the excessive rainfall, the revised report said.
Heavy rains and swollen rivers have caused large-scale damage in Marathwada since September 20, claiming at least nine lives. Crops on more than 30,000 hectares were washed away due to the floods, as per the state government.