Nagpur: Unseasonal rains and hailstorms cause crop damage

The unseasonal rain that has been going on for the last four to five days has wreaked havoc in Nagpur district. On Sunday afternoon, there was light rain in some parts of the city, while in other places it rained heavily. Hundreds of hectares of crops have been damaged in some talukas due to stormy rains and hailstorms.

According to the forecast of the Meteorological Department, rainy weather has formed in the entire Maharashtra, including Vidarbha, for the last four to five days. Its influence is greater in Vidarbha. This situation continued on Sunday as well. In Nagpur district, there was light rain at some places during the day and night on Saturday, while at other places there was stormy rain. Sunday morning was somewhat clear, but there were some clouds in the sky. In the afternoon, the weather changed, and suddenly it started raining with strong winds. There was rain in some parts of the city, while there were light showers in isolated places. Meanwhile, there is no report of any damage in the city.

However, the crops in the fields have been affected in the district. Five talukas in the district were affected by the storm. In this, hailstorm wreaked havoc in many villages in Katol, Kalmeshwar, Narkhed, Mauda, and Kuhi talukas. Due to this, late-sown crops like wheat and gram were badly damaged. The Ambia bahar crop of orange and sweet lime (mosambi) was also badly damaged. Mango and other orchards have also been affected by this rain and hailstorm. Along with this, many other vegetable crops, including tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, and chillies, have been destroyed.

In Nagpur district, 8 to 10 villages in Narkhed taluka, 18 to 20 villages in Katol, 37 in Kalmeshwar, 10 to 12 in Mauda, 6 to 8 in Ramtek, and 8 to 10 villages in Kuhi have been affected. Hundreds of hectares of crops have been destroyed in these villages. However, there is no report of any loss of life due to lightning anywhere in the district.

The westerly monsoon flowing from the northeast is currently passing through Maharashtra. The trough of this monsoon is moving from south interior Karnataka to east Vidarbha, north Karnataka, and Marathwada.