By Purnima Sah
Copyright thehindu
Torrential rains across Maharashtra over the past week have wreaked havoc, flooding villages, damaging kharif crops, and triggering health concerns. The disaster response teams rescued over 400 people from marooned districts, the State Disaster Management Department said on Tuesday (September 16, 2025).
The State Government said it is working to ensure timely compensation to affected farmers and has issued advisories to tackle monsoon-related illnesses.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, addressing NCP workers in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, said the government is hopeful of transferring financial aid directly to farmers’ bank accounts by Dussehra (October 2, 2025).
Official data shows 19.5 lakh hectares of kharif crops have been impacted across 195 talukas, 654 revenue circles, and 30 districts. “Surveys of crop losses are being expedited, and guardian ministers will monitor the process,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne added that crops on 17.85 lakh hectares have already been damaged in August–September alone, with soybean, maize, cotton, pulses, onion, sugarcane, and turmeric among the worst-hit. Nanded tops the list with losses over 7.28 lakh hectares, followed by Yavatmal, Washim, Dharashiv, Akola, Solapur, and Buldhana. Other severely affected districts include Hingoli, Parbhani, Jalna, Beed, Latur, Wardha, Ahmednagar, Nashik, Ratnagiri, Satara, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, Raigad, and Pune.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued orange alerts for several districts, including Raigad, Pune Ghat, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, directing administrations to remain on high alert.
In Pune, nearly 150 people trapped in Theur and Ruke Vasti Zilla Parishad School were rescued by NDRF teams, while dozens more were evacuated from Raiwadi, Indapur, and Pathardi talukas. In Beed, 51 stranded citizens were rescued, 24 by airlift and 27 by local volunteers.
In Ahilyanagar, an NDRF team rescued 230 people across Pathardi, Shevgaon, and Karjat using inflatable boats and safety gear. In Parbhani, four workers marooned in the Thuna riverbed were evacuated, while in Jalgaon, SDRF units were deployed to tackle floods.
At the same time, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has flagged rising cases of vector-borne illnesses. Between January and mid-September 2025, malaria cases rose to 6,277 (up from 5,182 last year), and chikungunya cases climbed to 542 (from 366). Dengue cases, however, dropped to 2,724 from 3,435 last year. Officials conducted fever surveys across 22.7 lakh people, collected 83,000 blood samples, fogged over 3.14 lakh huts, and administered leptospirosis prophylaxis to 44,625 individuals.
The civic body has urged citizens to avoid stagnant water, use repellents and nets, drink boiled water, and seek immediate medical attention if fever develops.
