Rain Updates: Flood-like Situation Worsens in Parts of Raj, IAF Choppers Deployed for Relief Operations in MP

The Indian Air Force will deploy two helicopters for relief operations in Madhya Pradesh’s flood-hit Vidisha district, officials said on Tuesday. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will also conduct an aerial survey of the rain-affected district on Tuesday, they said.

Many parts of MP, including Bhopal, witnessed heavy downpour over the last few days, leading to power supply disruptions in the state capital and other places. Rains stopped in Bhopal on Tuesday and the power supply was restored after more than 24 hours in parts of the city, which had witnessed tree falls and traffic snarls over the last couple of days due to heavy showers and strong winds blowing at up to 40 km per hour, officials said.

Madhya Pradesh

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that a depression lay centered about 80 km west-southwest of Guna. The observation was made at 11 p.m. on Monday. The depression is set to move nearly westwards and weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area during the next 12 hours, the IMD said.

Depression over northwest Madhya Pradesh lay centered at 2330 hrs IST of 22 Aug about 80 km west-southwest of Guna (Madhya Pradesh). To continue to move nearly westwards and weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area during the next 12hrs: IMD pic.twitter.com/2YzyntjEwm

— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) August 22, 2022

CM Chouhan reviewed the rain situation late Monday night and he is scheduled to conduct an aerial survey of Vidisha district on Tuesday, the Chief Minister’s Office said. In the 24-hour period till 8.30 am on Tuesday, Bhopal received 171.7 mm rainfall, while Berasia town of Bhopal district received 209 mm, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

Shah was in the city on Monday and participated in various programmes. After midnight, Chouhan held a meeting with senior officials at the state secretariat and spoke to the district collectors of various flood hit districts including Narmadapuram, Vidisha and Guna.

The officials informed in the meeting that in the last 24 hours, the State Disaster Emergency Response Force and the National Disaster Response Force together rescued 190 people in Vidisha, 103 in Rajgarh, 94 in Ashoknagar, seven in Raisen, five in Jabalpur, three each in Mandla and Guna and two in Sidhi. The depression lying over central parts of MP near Bhopal and Sagar has moved towards Rajasthan and weakened. Moderate to heavy rains with low intensity are likely in Neemuch, Mandsaur and Ratlam, bordering Rajasthan, senior meteorologist with the IMD’s Bhopal Office Ved Prakash Singh told PTI.

Light showers are likely in remaining parts of the state for the next three days, he said. In the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Tuesday, Jeerapur in Guna district received the highest 294 mm rainfall, followed by Aalot in Ratlam district -283 mm, Nalkheda in Agar Malwa-253 mm and Sehore -240 mm, an IMD official said. Bhopal, Vidisha, Rajgarh, Guna, Dewas, Betul and Chhindwara have received excessive rainfall so far, according to the IMD office here.

Rajasthan

Flood-like situation in Rajasthan’s Kota worsened on Tuesday due to incessant rainfall, officials said. An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter has been called to conduct a rescue operation in Baran district while schools in all four districts of Kota division — Kota, Baran, Jhalawar and Bundi — have been shut, they said.

Several areas in these districts are waterlogged due to heavy rains and water being released from dams. On Monday, Kota, Jhalawar and some areas in Bundi and Baran reported flood-like situation. In Baran district, the water level in Parvati and Parvan river increased on Monday night due to which many low-lying areas faced waterlogging.

The water also entered several residential areas. Nearly 10 people are stuck in Khurai area. They are surrounded by water and to rescue them, a requisition for a helicopter has been sent to the disaster management and relief department in Jaipur, Baran collector Narendra Kumar said.

People are also being rescued from other locations in the district and shifted to safer places by teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). Jhalawar collector Bharti Dixit said rescue operations are going on at five places in which more than 100 people are being shifted from low-lying areas.

There is a warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Banswara and Dungarpur districts and heavy rainfall in Bhilwara and Chittorgarh district on Tuesday.

Odisha

Odisha had already been reeling under the impact of a medium flood in the east with the overflowing Mahanadi river inundating paddy fields and villages.

Special Relief Commissioner P K Jena on Monday  wrote to district collectors of Khurda, Puri, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Nayagarh, Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar and Boudh, asking them to distribute sanitary napkins free of cost to women in the flood-hit areas.

The CM had on Sunday delegated the powers of special relief commissioner to the collector of Balasore district for effective administration. A helicopter was also placed at his disposal to deal with any emergency.

Meanwhile, the IMD predicted more rainfall for Balasore on Tuesday and Wednesday. We will take appropriate action keeping in view the IMD’s forecast, said water resources department chief engineer BJ Mishra.

Mishra also said that flood in the Mahanadi delta region is well under control, though many villages still remain marooned due to very slow discharge of water.

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