Declare wet drought in Maharashtra, provide relief to farmers: Congress writes to CM Fadnavis

As heavy rains in recent days have caused a flood-like situation in parts of Maharashtra, state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal has urged the Devendra Fadnavis-led government to declare a “wet drought” and provide urgent relief to the ₹50,000 per hectare to the farmers concerned.

Incessant rains over the past few days in various parts of the state, including the capital Mumbai and its metropolitan region, have disrupted life. Hundreds of people had to be brought to safety due to flooding, which also caused widespread crop damage.

In a letter to CM Fadnavis, Sapkal said that due to recent downpours, flood waters have entered the agricultural lands, seriously damaging the standing crops.

“It is estimated that more than 15 million acres of agricultural land across the state suffered significant damage,” he said.

Around 17 districts in Marathwada, Vidarbha and western Maharashtra regions were worst affected, while northern Maharashtra and Konkan regions also reported heavy losses, he said.

Major crops such as jowar, bajra, urad, maize, soybean, moong, cotton, tur, fruits and vegetables suffered extensive damage, while sugarcane grown in thousands of hectares of land was also affected, he added.

In some areas, farmers even lost livestock and Nanded district reported loss of lives, the Congress leader said.

“Already struggling farmers are now facing a new natural calamity,” Sapkal said.

As the government has issued orders to conduct crop damage assessments (panchnamas), it has urged the state to set aside all rules, conditions and procedures in this time of crisis and immediately provide financial assistance to farmers.

He also demanded that the families of those who lost their lives should be provided with compassionate support and relief.

On Tuesday (August 19), CM Fadnavis told reporters that crops spread over 12-14 lakh acres of land were damaged due to heavy rains that lashed different parts of the state.