Vidarbha floods kill 8, damage houses, crops; IMD forecasts heavy rain across Bengal

Relief and rehabilitation efforts in Vidarbha region are underway on a war-footing following heavy rains on 8 and 9 July, Maharashtra disaster management minister Girish Mahajan said in the assembly on Monday.

The Nagpur and Amravati divisions in the eastern part of the state witnessed torrential rains recently, which caused widespread damage, resulting in the deaths of eight persons as well as damage to houses and crops. Nagpur, Wardha, Gondia, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, and Chandrapur districts witnessed floods.

All administrative machinery has been kept on high alert to ensure assistance reaches affected citizens promptly and transparently, Mahajan said in a statement in the assembly.

As per a government resolution dated 30 May, financial assistance has already been disbursed at the district level to those whose houses have collapsed, while the deadline for providing aid such as household utensils and clothing to vendors and small shopkeepers has been extended under a resolution dated 28 July 2023, he added.

District collectors have been granted full authority to take decisions related to disaster relief, Mahajan said, adding that 20,854 hectares of agricultural land were affected and 29,920 farmers have been impacted.

"In Nagpur division, seven persons died, four were injured, while 17 large and 10 small animals perished. A total of 1,927 houses were partially damaged, 40 houses collapsed fully. A total of 209 cattle sheds were damaged. Some 715 people were shifted to safer locations. Damage assessment is currently underway," he said.

Heavy rain alert in Rajasthan till 15 July

In Amravati division, one death and one injury were reported, 180 houses were partially damaged and nine completely destroyed. The division also witnessed four livestock deaths and damage to 3,411 hectares of farmland, the minister informed the House.

Meanwhile, a well-marked low pressure over southeast Gangetic West Bengal, which concentrated into a depression over the region on Monday, will bring heavy to very heavy rain at one or two places in some districts of the state, the IMD said.

The system is likely to move west-northwestwards across Gangetic West Bengal by Tuesday afternoon, it added.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast heavy to very heavy rain at one or two places over all the districts of south Bengal, with extremely heavy downpours likely in South 24 Parganas and East and West Bardhaman districts until Tuesday morning.

It added that thereafter until Wednesday, light to moderate rain is likely to occur at one or two places over all districts of south Bengal, with heavy downpours in Purulia, Bankura, East and West Bardhaman, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts.

The weather office said owing to the system, the north Bengal districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Malda, South Dinajpur, Coochbehar and Alipurduar are likely to receive heavy rain at one or two places until Wednesday morning.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along and off the West Bengal coast and north Bay of Bengal, as conditions are likely to be rough to very rough, with windspeeds likely to reach 60 kmph.