Rains pummel Vidarbha, more than 700 houses damaged, villagers evacuated

Nagpur: More than 700 houses were damaged, and several roads were inundated as rains pummelled Maharashtra's Vidarbha over the weekend, and intermittent spells continued in the region on Monday.

In Chandrapur, seven gates of the Irai Dam were opened by one metre as incessant showers lashed the district in the morning.

According to officials, 740 houses were damaged, particularly in villages in Chandrapur, in the last 48 hours.

Water entered houses in Chichpalli village in Chandrapur after the retaining wall of a nullah developed cracks.

At least 33 roads were blocked due to waterlogging in Gadchiroli district, and five were gradually opened as water started receding in the morning, officials said.

More than 100 people were evacuated from Asgaon (Paoni tehsil), Opara and Dholsar villages in Lakhandur tehsil of Bhandara district on Sunday night and shifted to temporary shelters.

Heavy rains pounded Paoni and Lakhandur for more than two hours, resulting in waterlogging, and residents were in danger, district disaster management officer Abhishek Naamdas said.

A district search and rescue team evacuated villagers and sent them to temporary shelters, the official said.

As a preventive measure, the SDRF is on standby, and collector Yogesh Kumbhejkar was monitoring the situation, it was stated.

The weather department has issued orange and yellow alerts for the region, warning of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning at a few places in Nagpur, Wardha, Chandrapur and Amravati for the next two to five days.

According to the regional meteorological centre, Nagpur recorded 43 mm rainfall in 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Monday.

The department has forecast thunderstorms with lightning and light to moderate rainfall at isolated places over Wardha, Nagpur, Gadchiroli, Bhandara, Gondia and Chandrapur districts.

The Regional Meteorological Centre has issued an orange alert for Bhandara and Gondia for Monday and a yellow alert for Nagpur, Wardha, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal and Buldhana.