Around 45,000 people were evacuated on Sunday from flood-hit areas in various districts of Madhya Pradesh to safer places after heavy rainfall caused water-logging in many places, an official said.
They have been shifted to 150 relief camps in various districts, including Mandsaur and Neemuch, where heavy rains have triggered floods, he added.
The government has provided an aid of Rs 100 crore, the official said, adding a fund of Rs 325 crore has been put in emergency and rescue operations.
“The relief and rescue operations are in full swing in the affected districts of Mandsaur, Neemuch, Ratlam, Agra-Mala, Sheopur, Damoh, Raisen, Ashoknagar, Bhind and Shajapur,” he added.
Manasa town in Neemuch has received 243 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours ended on Sunday morning, a Met department official said.
Heavy showers have been lashing the two neighbouring districts Mandsaur and Neemuch in western Madhya Pradesh since the last few days, crippling normal life there.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of extremely heavy rainfall till Monday morning in Mandsaur, Neemuch and two other districts.
“Around 13,000 to 14,000 people have been rescued from some 100 to 125 villages in Mandsaur. Some of these villages have been vacated completely while others partially,” superintendent of police Hitesh Choudhary told PTI over phone.
He said police and district administration officials are keeping a close watch on the situation.
“Besides, nearly 2,300 people were evacuated from the flooded Rampura town in Neemuch after an alarming rise in the backwater level of Gandhi Sagar Dam in Mandsaur,” an official at Neemuch collectorate said.
Rescuers kept a vigil throughout the Saturday night before bringing the flood-hit people to relief camps on Sunday, he added.
Mandsaur received 218 mm rain while Manasa town in Neemuch got 243 mm rain in the 24 hours ending Sunday morning, as per the IMD.
Mandsaur has received 1,927.8 mm rain from June 1 till date, against the normal quota of 742.1 mm. Similarly, Neemuch received 1,569.7 mm rain so far this monsoon against 706.9 mm of normal quota, it said.
After heavy rains, 19 sluice gates of Gandhi Sagar Dam were opened and 4.93 lakh cusec water was being discharged, the dam project’s sub-divisional officer N P Dev said.
The released water was gushing downstream and entering parts of Rajasthan bordering Neemuch, he said.
Meanwhile, intermittent showers on Sunday lashed several parts of the central Indian state which has so far received 33 per cent excess rain than the season’s average, the IMD said.
The monsoon has weakened a bit in eastern Madhya Pradesh but is active in western parts, senior meteorologist, IMD Bhopal, G D Mishra said.
Extremely heavy rainfall is likely in Mandsaur, Neemuch, Agra Malwa and Alirajpur districts till Monday morning, besides heavy rains in ten districts including Indore.
Rain or thundershowers might occur in 32 districts of the state including capital Bhopal, as per the Met department.
Meanwhile, former chief minister and senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan said his party would launch an agitation from September 22 if compensation is not paid to farmers who have lost their crops in the downpour.
He also announced that he would be donate his MLA salary for the month for people affected by floods.
(The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text.)
First Published:
Sep 16, 2019 13:32 IST
Source: HindustanTimes