As torrential rains continue to lash Mandsaur and Neemuch districts, over 46,000 people were shifted to safer places by late Sunday from the western region of Madhya Pradesh, a government spokesperson announced. The Met has forecast heavy rainfall in 10 districts, including Indore.
The two neighbouring districts have received incessant rain since last few days crippling daily lives of people. The Meteorological department has warned of extremely heavy rainfall till Monday morning.
Manoj Path, joint director of Public Relations in a message late Sunday evening said, “More than 45,000 people have been rescued from 100 to 125 villages in Mandsaur. Some of these villages have been fully vacated while there has been partial evacuation in others.”
Around 32,000 families in the catchment area of Indira Sagar and Sardar Sarovar dams are at risk of being overrun by the water, rising at alarming rate in the two dams.
The dam project’s sub-divisional officer NP Dev said, “After heavy rains, 19 sluice gates of Gandhi Sagar Dam were opened and 4.93 lakh cusec water was being discharged.”
He further said, “The released water was gushing downstream and entering parts of Rajasthan that borders Neemuch.”
An official at the Neemuch Collectorate said, “Rescuers kept vigil during the previous night, bringing flood-hit people to relief camps on Sunday.”
The Meteorological Department has given a warning that there is no relief likely from the rains in the two districts till Monday evening.
Mandsaur received 218 mm rain while Manasa town in Neemuch got 243 mm rain in 24 hours, ending on Sunday morning, as per the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) office here.
Mandsaur district received 1,927.8 mm rain from June 1 till date, against the normal quota of 742.1 mm, the IMD said. Similarly, Neemuch received 1,569.7 mm rain so far this monsoon against 706.9 mm of the normal quota, it said.
Meanwhile, intermittent showers on Sunday lashed several parts of Madhya Pradesh, which has so far received 33% more rain than the season’s average, the IMD said.
The monsoon has weakened a bit in eastern Madhya Pradesh but is active in the western parts of the State, IMD Bhopal’s Senior Meteorologist GD Mishra said.
Mandsaur, Neemuch, Agar Malwa, Jhabua and Alirajpur regions will receive extremely heavy rainfall till Monday. Rain or thundershowers are likely to occur at most places in around 31 districts of the state, including Bhopal on Monday morning.
An official at the Neemuch Collectorate said, “Rescuers kept vigil during the previous night, bringing flood-hit people to relief camps on Sunday.”
Civil society organisations have asked the Madhya Pradesh government to help rescue the affected families in the Narmada valley as the rehabilitation site for project –affected families, Nisarpur near Barwani, is almost submerged under water due to incessant rainfall.
The previous BJP government had apparently grossly underestimated the area to be submerged. The government had in an affidavit claimed before the Supreme Court that it would have completed the evacuation of all residing there.
Meanwhile, the former MP Chief Minister and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Sunday evening that the BJP is going to launch a state-wide agitation from September 22, if the farmers’ who have lost their crops in the rain would not be compensated by the Congress government of the state.
“Congress government in the state should reach out to the people affected by the heavy downpour. Kamal Nath has not been visible in the state that has seen unprecedented rain over the past five weeks,” said Chauhan