Rains lash Chhattisgarh; flood-like situation in Gariaband

Incessant rains in several parts of Chhattisgarh, including capital Raipur and Gariaband, over the past couple of days, have prompted the state government to ask district authorities to be on high alert to deal with a possible flood-like situation, officials said on Tuesday.

Collectors of Raipur, Dhamtari, Gariaband, and Mahasamund districts, which have witnessed heavy rainfall since Monday, have been directed to monitor the situation, take precautions and submit reports on rain-induced losses, state Revenue, and Disaster Management department secretary Rita Shandilya told PTI.

A Gariaband district administration official said the area was witnessing continuous rainfall over the last three days, following which an alert was issued, and teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), as well as the police, were deployed for timely evacuation of people stranded in floods.

''The district has received 107.1 millimeters of rainfall between 8:30 am on Monday and 8:30 am on Tuesday. The movement of vehicles on National Highway-130c connecting Gariaband to Raipur has been blocked due to Pairi river here flooding,'' he said.

"Eight people were trapped in three villages due to flood and teams of SDRF and police were engaged to rescue them. Besides, two persons have been safely evacuated from the flooded Chikhli village,'' the Gariaband official added.

People living in kutcha houses in rain-hit areas have been asked to shift to panchayat buildings, while those staying in low-lying areas in Gariaband town were told to move to Mangal Bhawan, where food and accommodation have been arranged, the official further said.

Gariaband Collector Nilesh Kshirsagar, who visited Malgaon Pantora to take stock of the flood-like situation on Tuesday, directed revenue personnel to submit a report on the loss of property in 30 rainfall-hit villages, he added.

The official said 17 out of 22 gates of Sikaser dam in Gariaband have been opened, and 20669 cusecs (cubic foot per second) of water was released.

The meteorological department, meanwhile, has issued a warning of heavy rain in a few places in Bilaspur, Korba, Surajpur, Balrampur, and Mungeli districts of the state over the next 48 hours.

It has also forecast extremely heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours in seven districts, including Rajnandagon, Durg, and Kabirdham.

The state received 31.7 mm rainfall between 8:30 am on Monday till 8:30 am on Tuesday which is not normal, explained HP Chandra of the Meteorological Centre, Raipur.

Officials said Raipur district received 84.1 mm rainfall during this 24-hour period, leaving several areas flooded and road traffic affected.