Unseasonal rains wreak havoc for farm and horticulture produce in Maharashtra
According to a preliminary report, one person and four animals were killed, while 23 houses were partially damaged during the heavy rains
Unseasonal rains wreaked havoc in Maharashtra as a number of regions witnessed heavy rains on Saturday. Ahmednagar district witnessed heavy rains along with lightning and thunder, while Hingoli, Basmat, Sengaon, Kalamnuri and Aunda regions witnessed heavy rainfall during the afternoon. Buldhana, Sangli, Yavatmal, Dharashiv witnessed rainfall. The heavy rains affected cashew crop, mango, kokam, onion, wheat, grapes and java plum.
Crop losses were also reported in some parts, but the extent of the losses is yet to be ascertained, the state administration said. The state government during a meeting convened on April 6 had made it clear that it will treat the unseasonal rains as a natural calamity. A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO)stated that the administration will provide relief to agriculturists whose crops have been damaged due to untimely rain.
According to a preliminary report, one person and four animals were killed, while 23 houses were partially damaged during the heavy rains. Previously, there have been two spells of unseasonal rains - in first and second week of March .The untimely showers and downpours killed at least five persons and damaged crops spread across nearly 4,950 hectares in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region during the second week of March.
State agriculture minister Abdul Sattar has directed the district administration to provide compensation to all those who have suffered losses during the unseasonal rains and immediate punchnama be prepared.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of stormy rain across the state from April 8 to 10. According to the forecast, north Maharashtra will receive heavy rains with hail till April 10. Apart from Palghar, Thane, the rest of Maharashtra is likely to have cloudy weather and there is a possibility of unseasonal rain for the next two days.
Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather forecasting division IMD said, “A trough in easterlies is running from Kerala to central Maharashtra across interior Karnataka. That’s the main system governing the weather of the state of Maharashtra. The wind discontinuity (present earlier) from central Madhya Pradesh to south Tamil Nadu has become less marked.’’
The Cumulonimbus cloud developed over the city on Saturday evening, and brought light showers with thunderstorms. This offered relief from sweltering heat. However, there was no rain recorded as the amount was less.
The IMD recorded a drop in maximum temperature by 2.3 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature recorded was 34.9 degrees Celsius. While the minimum temperature was 21.1 degrees Celsius. As per IMD data, Shivajinagar, Pashan, and Lavale have reported cumulonimbus clouds, which resulted in a light shower in almost all areas of the city.
A yellow alert continues for Pune for the next 24 hours and the city may receive rains during this period. The current weather conditions caused a temperature reduction in many areas of the district. The highest maximum temperature recorded was 37.6 degrees Celsius in Koregaon Park, while Baramati recorded the lowest temperature at 32.3 degrees Celsius. Pashan recorded 32.3 degrees Celsius and Lavale recorded 32.3 degrees Celsius maximum temperature.
