IMD issues orange alert for Satara & Kolhapur districts

Kolhapur: A large number of vineyards in Sangli district were damaged after an intense spell of rainfall, accompanied by lightning, lashed parts of Kolhapur and Satara districts on Monday. Cloudburst-like rain was received in the region for over an hour late on Sunday night.
A vineyard farmer from Tasgaon, Pravin Gaikwad, said, "My entire field has been inundated after the heavy rainfall.It requires nearly Rs 3 lakh for a farmer to cultivate grapes on one acre of land, from which an average of 15 tonnes of grape is produced. Other costs of fungicides are an addition to it. For the last three years, we have been facing heavy farm losses owing to uneven weather conditions."
In Kolhapur city, an intense spell of rain commenced around 2pm and continued for over an hour, along with thunder and lightning. An overhead water tank over an apartment in front of Padmaraje High School in Kolhapur city was damaged after being struck by lightning. The sudden downpour brought the city to a standstill. Several parts of the city faced waterlogging, resulting in severe traffic congestions in the Shahupuri, Rajarampuri, Bindu Chowk and Mahadwar Road areas.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued orange alert for Kolhapur and Satara districts for Tuesday, with the probability of heavy to very heavy rainfall, thunderstorm with lightning, and gusty winds at isolated places. IMD has issued an yellow alert for Sangli and Satara districts for Tuesday.