After the September floods had already destroyed kharif crops, farmers had spent the past few weeks repairing their land and sowing rabi crops. However, the fresh spell of unseasonal rain has again devastated their fields
Heaps of harvested soybean stored in fields were swept away by rainwater in several villages situated along the Rena river. Representational pic
Even after the withdrawal of monsoon from Maharashtra, unseasonal heavy rainfall lashed Renapur tehsil of Latur district on Tuesday night, damaging both kharif and newly-sown rabi crops, news agency PTI reported.
According to local sources, heaps of harvested soybean stored in fields were swept away by rainwater in several villages situated along the Rena river, including Renapur, Ghansargaon, Murdhav, Bhandarwadi, Kamkheda and Chukarwadi. Farm equipment, irrigation pipes and sacks filled with produce were also carried off by the floodwaters, said sources.
Suresh Chavan, a farmer from Garsuli village in Renapur tehsil, said he lost his entire heap of harvested soybean spread over five acres.
“The government announced aid, but we never received it. Our Diwali passed in darkness, and now our fields have been washed away,” Chavan said in a video that has gone viral on social media.
After the September floods had already destroyed kharif crops, farmers had spent the past few weeks repairing their land and sowing rabi crops. However, the fresh spell of unseasonal rain has again devastated their fields. Many farmers had paid labourers between Rs 5,500 and Rs 6,000 per acre for soybean harvesting, further compounding their financial losses, sources told PTI.
The downpour also disrupted road connectivity in several parts of Latur district. Roads linking Kharola to Ashtamod, Pangav to Renapur, and Ghansargav to Hanmantwadi remained closed till Wednesday afternoon due to flooding. The bridge over a local stream near Ghansargav was reported to be in a dangerous condition and in need of urgent repairs, officials said.
To manage the rising inflows, water was released from the Renapur irrigation project into the Rena River early Wednesday morning, PTI reported, citing the officials quoted above.
Unseasonal rains cause widespread crop damage in Gujarat
Meanwhile, unseasonal rainfall has also caused widespread crop damage in neighbouring Gujarat. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday ordered a comprehensive survey to assess the losses suffered by farmers due to heavy rainfall over the past week, state Agriculture Minister and government spokesperson Jitu Vaghani said in Gandhinagar.
According to preliminary reports from the State Emergency Operation Center, 239 talukas across 33 districts in Gujarat received heavy rainfall between October 23 and 28, affecting more than 10 lakh hectares of farmland, PTI reported.
“To provide financial assistance to the affected farmers as quickly as possible, the CM has instructed officials to conduct a survey of crop loss under the SDRF (State Disaster Relief Fund) norms and complete it within seven days,” Vaghani said.
He added that the state government may consider providing additional compensation beyond SDRF provisions. The survey will employ advanced technology to ensure accuracy and enable swift disbursal of financial aid, he said, adding that a physical verification of affected areas will also be undertaken.
(With PTI inputs)
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