Heavy rain pounds Chhattisgarh; 5 killed, roads cut off in several districts
Heavy rain over the past few days has caused flood-like conditions in parts of Chhattisgarh, inundating low-lying areas, swelling rivers and streams, and disrupting road
Heavy rain over the past few days has caused flood-like conditions in parts of Chhattisgarh, inundating low-lying areas, swelling rivers and streams, and disrupting road links across several districts, officials said on Thursday. At least five people have died in rain-related incidents during this period. The worst-hit areas are in the Raipur, Bastar and Durg divisions, where several roads remained submerged and authorities issued alerts for people living along riverbanks. Officials said more rain, thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds are likely in parts of the state over the next 24 hours. Read Full Story In Gariaband district, a 55-year-old man was swept away on Wednesday while trying to cross the swollen Sargi stream near Sahaspur village. Officials said his body was recovered around five kilometres away near Khuteri village. Continuous rain has badly affected movement in Gariaband. Highway-130, which links Raipur with neighbouring Odisha, remained closed due to waterlogging.
The Gariaband-Mahasamund, Gariaband-Nagri-Dhamtari and Kochbay-Malgaon-Kasanala roads were also shut, officials said. Gariaband Collector Bhagwan Singh Uike said the situation in the district remained critical because of incessant rainfall. Sixteen of the 21 gates of the Sikasar dam have been opened, and 44,000 cusecs, or 12.45 lakh litres per second, of water is being released against an inflow of 58,000 cusecs, he said. More than 50 students of a government-run girls' residential school at Pantora were shifted to the safer Baruka village as a precaution, while villages along the Pairi river were put on alert. The district hospital premises in Gariaband town were also inundated with nearly three feet of water, and police and district administration personnel were deployed in vulnerable areas. In neighbouring Dhamtari district, officials said gates of the Sondhur dam have been opened after the reservoir level rose due to heavy rain in the catchment areas.
In Sarangarh-Bilaigarh district, the bodies of a couple who were swept away along with their car while trying to cross the flooded Lat rivulet bridge on July 26 were recovered on Wednesday. Their vehicle was found about 150 metres downstream near Chikhli village. In another incident, the body of a 20-year-old man from Durg-Bhilai, who was swept away in the strong current at the Damaudhara waterfall in Sakti district while on an outing with friends, was recovered on Wednesday after a rescue operation that lasted nearly 24 hours. In Bijapur district, where heavy rain has continued for the past two days, rivers and streams are in spate, affecting traffic on several roads, including the Bijapur-Bhairamgarh and Bijapur-Gangaloor routes. Officials said hundreds of villages have been cut off from the district headquarters. On Tuesday, a farmer was killed after a tree fell on him in the Gangaloor area.
The BriefWire