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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A flood-like situation arose along the banks of the Godavari river in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna and Beed districts on Tuesday after heavy rainfall and water discharge from dams, officials said.

The Dharashiv district, which is already facing flood, and 129 revenue circles across the Marathwada region also witnessed heavy downpour in the last 24 hours, they said.

NCP (SP) chief and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said the state government should expedite the process of providing assistance to farmers who have suffered losses due to heavy rains.

Heavy rains lashed the catchment areas of Jayakwadi dam in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Majalgaon in Beed, both located in the Marathwada region, since Monday night.

"It was like a cloud burst in some of these areas," a revenue official said.

The two dams were almost full, and water discharge was underway from them due to continuous inflow, he said.

Javlala and Ramoda areas in the catchment of Majalgaon dam received 160 mm and 120 mm rainfall, respectively, since Monday night, the official said.

The areas of Gangapur (46 mm), Paithan (92 mm) and Bhendala (52 mm), in the catchment area of Jayakwadi dam, also received rains, he said.

Therefore, water discharge from the Jayakwadi and Majalgaon dams into the Godavari river reached 1.03 lakh cusec (cubic foot per second) and 1.15 lakh cusec, respectively, on Tuesday morning, he said.

Moreover, excess rainfall was recorded in Ghansawangi and Ambad talukas of Jalna and Gevrai taluka in Beed, the official said.

This led to swelling of the Godavari river and a flood-like situation at several villages in Chhatrapati Sambajinagar, Jalna and Beed districts, he added.

Some areas of Dharashiv were flooded due to excess rainfall on Sunday. The heavy downpour continued on Monday also in Paranda, Bhum and Washi talukas of the district, the official said.

As many as 129 revenue circles in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Dharashiv, Parbhani and Hingoli districts recorded heavy rainfall (65 mm and above in a single day) over the last 24 hours, he said.

The highest rainfall at 158.25 mm was recorded in Therla revenue circle of Patoda in Beed district, the official said.

The Marathwada region, which comprises eight districts, has received 28.5 per cent more than the average rainfall till date since June 1 this year. The region has recorded 823.8 mm rainfall till Tuesday morning, against the average expected downpour of 640.8 mm for the period, he said.

Dharashiv has recorded 148.8 per cent rainfall at 833.5 mm, against the expected average of 560 mm during the period, the official said.

Speaking to reporters in Pune, Pawar said relief measures for farmers must be immediate and permanent.

Reacting to the latest situation in Marathwada, he said, "This year, the state has witnessed unprecedented rainfall. Districts that are usually known for drought have experienced excessive rain. This heavy rainfall has severely affected the lives of farmers." Soybean was the major crop this season. Other crops were also cultivated on a large scale, the former state chief minister noted.

"In Solapur, Dharashiv, Parbhani, Nanded and Beed, farmers have suffered massive losses due to the excessive rains. At such times of crisis, it is the responsibility of both the central and state governments to help the farmers. The schemes available from the central government to assist the state must be utilised to provide compensation," he said.

"Compensation should be given for all three losses — land erosion, crop destruction and loss of fertile soil," Pawar said.

In many places, cattle have also been washed away. The state government must immediately take note of all these issues, he said.

"Crop damage assessments must be conducted in the presence of farmers, ensuring their confidence. Relief measures must be both immediate and permanent," he added. 

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)