18 dead in 24 hours: Madhya Pradesh in throes of excess rain, flood

Special Correspondent

NewsBits.in

Bhopal: Another bout of very heavy rainfall has brought many areas of Madhya Pradesh on knees and killed at least 18 persons during last 24 hours.

Though eastern MP is expected to have some relief from rainfall Saturday night onwards, many areas of southwestern MP would continue to remain under alert for Sunday too.

This is because the deep depression system that was causing heavy rainfall is moving westward and weakening gradually, the director of Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Anupam Kashyapi has said.

At least two dozen people are still trapped under the debris of a three-storey housing board building in Maihar of Satna. The collapse killed one woman. Rescue operations were on a massive scale.

Seven were killed when a kutcha house collapsed in Rahatgarh of Sagar district while two more were killed in a house collapse in Katni. Three each were washed away in Chhatarpur and Raisen districts while two (aunt and nephew) were killed in Panna, reports from across state said.

The chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviewed the situation and asked officials to keep keen eye on the situation and pay attention of health issues of people in areas where rainfall was receding.

The CM has announced compensation of Rs four lakh each for kin of the deceased.bHe directed that water should not be released from dams at once and the survey of damages should be taken up immediately.

138 villages impacted in Panna, Satna, Rewa

According to official statement, 34 villages of Rewa and Rewa city, 62 villages of Satna and 41 villages of Panna districts were highly impacted in the excess rain and flooding. About 6000 people had to be rescued by three teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 12 teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Army. Relief camps were being run in all three districts with over 6000 people taking refuge in them.

32% excess rain in MP; 75% excess in Bhopal

As on August 20, Madhya Pradesh has received 32% excess rainfall. The state should have received 671.1mm of rain from June 1 till now, but received 886.8mm rain. East MP received 33% excess rain (986.1mm in place of 740.8mm) while West MP received 31% excess rainfall (810.6mm rain in place of 617.5mm).

Bhopal has received as much as 1209.8mm in place of 690mm expected rain – 75% excess. The highest excess (95%) has been recorded in Panna district, while Satna has received 94% excess rain.

However 14 districts have still not achieved the normal rainfall mark, though only three districts (Balaghat, Aagar and Barwani) are in deficient category. Balaghat has received 30% deficient rainfall – the highest deficiency in state.