Mumbai: Torrential rains across Maharashtra between September 1 and 22 have caused widespread damage to agriculture, impacting an estimated 30.85 lakh acres of farmland. The state government has approved Rs 2,215 crore in relief for affected farmers. The unrelenting downpour has also claimed 13 lives in the past week, officials said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday chaired a cabinet meeting to review the situation. He announced that he, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and all cabinet ministers, will visit the flood-affected areas in the coming days. On Wednesday, the Chief Minister is scheduled to visit Solapur and Latur districts.
In the cabinet meeting, several ministers reportedly urged the government to declare a "wet drought" across the state, citing large-scale crop destruction and severe waterlogging.
According to the Agriculture Department's preliminary report, Beed district suffered the worst crop losses, with damage to over 5.94 lakh acres, followed by Dharashiv (4.53 lakh acres), Solapur (4.45 lakh acres), and Ahilyanagar (4.21 lakh acres).
The state has sought assistance from the Centre, requesting helicopters for search and rescue operations in heavily impacted districts, including Dharashiv, Ahilyanagar, Dhule, Parbhani, Jalgaon, Solapur, and Beed.
A senior official confirmed that 17 teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed for relief operations. Over 700 people have been evacuated from flood-hit areas and moved to safer locations. The government has set up temporary shelters and is providing drinking water and food grains to those displaced.
"Three helicopters -- two from the Army and one from the Air Force -- have been deployed in Solapur and Dharashiv. Additionally, two Army teams are operating in inundated areas," said an official from the Disaster Management Unit.
Speaking to the media after the cabinet meeting, CM Fadnavis said Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan is monitoring the situation on the ground and has requested additional helicopters to assist with rescue operations. "So far, the state has approved Rs 2,215 crore in financial aid for 31.64 lakh farmers. Of this, Rs 1,829 crore has already been disbursed at the district level. The remaining amount will be released within the next 8 to 10 days," he said.
Mr. Fadnavis assured that the state would not fall short in extending immediate relief to affected farmers and citizens.