50 Dead, 5 Lakh Hectares Of Crops Ruined In Marathwada This Monsoon

At least 50 people lost their lives, and crops on more than five lakh hectares of land were damaged due to heavy rainfall in Marathwada this monsoon, with Nanded emerging as the worst-hit district, an official said on Tuesday.

As per a report shared by the divisional commissioner's office, the region comprising eight districts received 606.3 mm of rainfall since June 1, which is 8.7 per cent above the normal expected rainfall.

Marathwada consists of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Latur, Nanded, Dharashiv, Hingoli, and Parbhani.

Nanded, which was hit by floods last month, received 21.2 per cent more than the average expected rainfall.

The region reported 50 deaths, the highest 18 were recorded in Nanded, followed by 11 in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, six each in Beed and Hingoli, five in Parbhani and three in Jalna, the report stated.

At least 1,049 animals died due to heavy rainfall, while 3,388 houses suffered damage, it said.

According to the report, crops on more than 5.62 lakh hectares of land, belonging to 15.78 lakh farmers, were damaged due to rains in the last three months.

Nanded district was the most affected, with crop losses on 2.62 lakh hectares, while in Hingoli, crops on 1.24 lakh hectares of land were affected.

The administration has completed 45 per cent of the crop loss survey, the report stated. 

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