Heavy rainfall recorded in Maharashtra's Pune, Aurangabad, Solapur

Maharashtra has been reeling with several problems of late; predominantly due to the state of affairs in the region with a continuous rise in COVID-19 cases, which refuses to be under control. The state has been leading the charge among the country with regular cases and casualties. On the other hand, it has also witnessed heavy rainfalls in various parts and the rains aren't going to come to a halt anytime soon in various parts. 

In this regard, the Aurangabad district in Marathwada region recorded the highest rainfall in Maharashtra in the last 24 hours, as per the claim of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday (August 02). In the 24-hour period spanning till 8.30 am on Sunday, Pune received 26 mm downpour whereas Solapur-42 mm, Aurangabad 86-mm, Ahmednagar-23 mm and Hingoli-17 mm also had persistent rains.

Furthermore, the IMD has made it clear that heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in Pune, Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Sangli, Beed, Latur and Osmanabad districts in the coming few days; i.e. from Monday to Wednesday (Agust 03-05). Places in Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani, Jalna, Sangli and Aurangabad are also to witness light to moderate rain till Wednesday, the IMD claimed on Saturday.

According to IMD's classification, "heavy to very heavy rainfall" means precipitation which is usually in the range of 64.5 mm to 204.4 mm in a period of 24 hours.

In other news from the city of Pune, malls are set to reopen during Unlock 3.0. The latest guidelines allow mall-owners some respite as malls can open from August 5. The city malls had been shut since the first phase of lockdown imposed during end-March.

Surjit Singh Rajpurohit, the chief operating officer of Amanora Mall, told TOI, "Malls opening up is definitely a good start for us after over four months of closure. However, restrictions on cinema halls, food courts/restaurants is still not good for business. The reason why many people visit a mall is for the entire package — multiplex, food court and shopping."