Three barrages full after heavy rains in Latur; alert issued for those along Rena river

The Latur district administration has issued precautionary advisory to farmers and residents along the banks of the Manjara, Terna, and Tawarja rivers. Representational Pic/File

Three barrages in Latur district were filled to capacity following heavy rains in Maharashtra for the past few days, an official said on Thursday, reported the PTI.

Around 1,441 cusecs of water had to be released, prompting authorities to issue an alert to farmers along the Rena river, he said.

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"The three barrages that have filled to capacity are Renapur, Jawalga and Kharola. The gates of the barrages have been opened by 2 metres, allowing excess water to flow into Rena river," he said, reported the PTI.

Other affected areas apart from Latur city include Aurad Shahajani, Usturi, and Yerol and other tehsils.

"Rains and strong winds disrupted power supply in some regions and damaged homes in Sakol. The mango crop too has suffered damage due to the storm," he added, according to the PTI.

A government press release said rainfall in the catchment areas of the Manjara, Terna, and Tawarja rivers has intensified and water levels in nearby dams and Kolhapur-style weirs are expected to reach their threshold soon.

"Consequently, surplus water will need to be released into these rivers. The district administration has issued precautionary advisory to farmers and residents along the banks of the Manjara, Terna, and Tawarja rivers. People are urged to avoid unnecessary movement near the rivers and to take all necessary safety measures," it said, as per the PTI.

The much-anticipated Latur District Mango Festival, scheduled for May 23-24, at Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Park Grounds has been cancelled due to persistent and forecasted rain, district superintendent of agriculture Ramesh Jadhav and ATMA project director Shivsambh Ladke said, the news agency reported.

Meanwhile, several parts of Maharashtra has been recently witnessing heavy rains.

A low-pressure area is likely to form around May 22 over the east-central Arabian Sea near the Karnataka coast. As a result, rainfall activity across Maharashtra is expected to increase between May 19 and 25, particularly affecting Konkan and the ghat areas of Madhya Maharashtra.

In a weather bulletin on Thursday, the IMD warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places, with extremely heavy rainfall expected in parts of Maharashtra including Pune, Thane, Raigad, Sindhudurg, Palghar, Ahilyanagar, Kolhapur, Satara, Ratnagiri, Parbhani, Beed, Nanded, and Latur.

(with PTI inputs)