Latur District Faces Severe Disruption Due to Heavy Rains

Latur, Aug 29 (PTI) - Life in Maharashtra’s Latur district has been severely disrupted by relentless heavy rainfall, leading the administration to declare a holiday for schools on Friday, officials reported. Of the 60 revenue circles in the Marathwada region, 29 reported excessive rainfall by Thursday night, causing water levels in rivers and streams to rise and triggering rescue operations. Approximately 50 roads and bridges have been shut down as water began flowing over them. With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a yellow alert for August 29, District Collector and Disaster Management Authority Chairperson Varsha Thakur-Ghuge announced a holiday for schools from Class 1 to 12. Disaster management teams and local villagers successfully rescued ten individuals stranded in flood-affected areas of Shirur Anantpal and Ahmedpur talukas, with an Army team also reaching Ahmedpur. In Shirur Anantpal, five people trapped in a riverside shed and three laborers caught during bridge construction on the Gharni river were safely rescued. In Ahmedpur’s Kalegaon, a person stranded on a reservoir spillway was also brought to safety. In Makni village, locals saved a man swept away while crossing a flooded bridge; he sustained minor injuries and is being treated at Saikripa Hospital in Shirur Tajband. The State Highway 238 stretch from Nilanga to Udgir-Dhanegaon has been closed due to overflowing waters, and the Nilanga-Udgir road is shut as a bridge on the Manjara river near Shiur submerged. Backwaters have cut off two roads connecting Tagarkheda to Aurad, forcing vehicles to detour through Halse-Tambarwadi-Halgara to access the Bidar road. In Nilanga taluka’s Shelgi village, five bovines were killed by a lightning strike around midnight on Thursday. In Chakur tehsil, 679 students and 40 teachers were stranded at Kendriya Vidyalaya School, located in a BSF camp, after the premises became waterlogged. All were rescued by BSF personnel on Thursday evening. Neighboring Nanded has also suffered from heavy rains, with over 2,200 individuals in Nanded and Latur relocated to safety following the torrential downpour, officials stated on Thursday.

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