MUMBAI: Heavy rains throughout Monday night have solved the water problems of Latur. Manjra river, that had dried up for the last two to three years, has started flowing again while Manjra dam too is almost full. Flood gates of Terna dam too have been opened.
Rains, however, cause concern for people in Pune. IMD has warned heavy thundershowers over the next few days.
The returning monsoon has solved the water woes of the parched city of Latur. The corporation had announced water cuts on September 1 after the region hardly received any rain till then and had announced that it will be able to provide water fortnightly. Talks of running water train again like it was done in 2016 too had begun. However, a night’s rains have almost solved the problem completely.
The state has already received 32% excess rainfall this year and major reservoirs in Marathwada too had filled up to brim last month due in the catchment area of Godavari River in Nashik district. Dams in Beed too had brimmed after a heavy spell earlier this month. The same thing happened to Latur on Sunday and Monday. It rained very heavily on Sunday night and again on Monday night. The rains have filled Manjra dam and the river which had hardly any water left in it has started flowing again.
Meanwhile, in Pune city sporadically heavy rains for the past couple of days have led to water-logging. On Monday night, heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning and thunderstorm hit several areas of Maharashtra in the last few days including Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad.
Water-logging was reported in Kondhwa and Sahakar Nagar areas of Pune following heavy rainfall. This flooding brought back memories of the incessant rains that wreaked havoc in the city this monsoon.
The IMD has predicted thunderstorm with lightning and gusty winds at isolated places in Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Beed and Osmanabad districts. Though the MeT department last week announced the complete withdrawal of the south-west monsoon, it said the cyclonic circulation developed off the south coast of Maharashtra was bringing rains now.