By IANS,
Mumbai : The recent spell of heavy rains has brought cheer to farmers and politicians alike in Maharashtra. The most fortuitous aspect is rainfall has been more or less evenly spread across the state, including several drought-prone districts.
Within less than two weeks since monsoon hit the state, dams and reservoirs across the state have been filled by an average 16 percent, according to statistics compiled by the government and released Thursday evening.
This has brought cheer to the farming community preparing for sowing of cotton, oilseeds and pulses in the state.
Even politicians, especially from the ruling Democratic Front Government, are smiling with each downpour – a good monsoon would tione up rural economy and could mean better electoral prospects. The polls to the state legislative assembly are due in the second half of 2009, but may be held earlier with the parliamentary electuions.
Mumbai city has had the highest 447.6 mm of rainfall so far, followed by Mumbai suburbs at 414.7 mm, though the official date with monsoon in the state is June 10.
The districts on the list of heavy rainfall are Sindhudurg (394.5 mm), Ratnagiri (392.3 mm), Raigad (311.19 mm) and Kolhapur (152.4 mm).
The lowest rains have been recorded in Sholapur (7.1 mm), Latur (9.2 mm) and Ahmednagar (9.9 mm).
The remaining districts have received between 13 mm and 65.1 mm rainfall, but there are still more than three full months of active monsoon to go.
The coastal Konkan region – comprising Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg – lashed by heavy rains the past seven days, has already recorded 27 percent water collection in dams and reservoirs.
Trailing behind are Nagpur (19 percent), Marathwada (16 percent), Amravati (15 percent), Pune (12 percent) and Nashik (9 percent).