Other States - Madhya Pradesh   

Heavy rains lash Madhya Pradesh, alert sounded in Bhopal

Flight operations affected in the State capital as water inundates part of the runway at Raja Bhoj airport; death toll mounts to 134

MAROONED: The scene in Bhopal on Friday after heavy rain submerged roads.

BHOPAL: Heavy rains battered several parts of Madhya Pradesh including state capital Bhopal where an alert was sounded on Friday throwing normal life out of gear besides affecting flight operations and road traffic as death toll in current monsoons mounted to 134 with seven fresh casualties.

Incessant downpour inundated roads linking several districts snapping vital connectivity as a number of culverts and small bridges were washed away by strong currents of overflowing nullahs and rivulets, official sources said.

Worst-hit were districts like Hoshangabad, Jabalpur, Sagar, Balaghat, Sehore and Datia besides the state capital, where the administration sounded an alert, they said adding schools remained closed in Bhopal and offices recorded thin attendance.

Flight operations from Raja Bhoj airport were affected due to waterlogging of about 1000 feet of the runway leading to cancellation of Indian's Airbus flight from Mumbai, though Deccan Air and Jet Airways planes operated, airport officials said.

In all, seven deaths were reported from different places since yesterday, the sources said adding three persons, including a woman, drowned at Attasemadhana and Bihara villges of Sagar district while two persons were swept away by gushing water from a rivulet in Ujjain district.

Two persons died when trees fell on them in separate incidents in Damoh and Rajgarh districts, they said adding the death toll in the current monsoon, which had stood at 127 till yesterday, mounted to 134 with the fresh casualties.

Helicopters were summoned to rescue at least 70 people in seven villages of Vidisha district who were marooned as water gushed from a dam in neighbouring Raisen district folliwing a breach, they said.

The water level in rivers rose sharply forcing opening of 12 sluice gates of Indira Sagar dam at Khandwa and nine gates of Bargi dam on Narmada river at Jabalpur, they said. Narsinghpur recorded a maximum rainfall of 25cm, followed by 23cm at Bhopal and Raisen, 18cm at Ujjain, 13cm in Vidisha, 12cm in Guna and 10cm in Neemuch, they said.

Forecasting heavy rains in western part of the state, met department has issued a warning in Sagar, Ujjain, Gwalior and Chambal divisions.

Flood havoc in U.P.

At least 36 people have died in floods in various districts of Uttar Pradesh due to diversion of excess water from reservoirs in Nepal.

With the death of three more people during floods, the toll has climbed to seven in Balrampur during the last 24 hours. Besides, traffic was restricted on the Kanvapur-Lalia highway following land erosion in Pahari 'nullah'.

Owing to land erosion in Rapti, Ganga, Sharda, Saryu and the turbulent Ghagra, flood continues to haunt Faizabad, Balrampur, Shravasti, Bahraich, Barabanki, Gonda and Lakhimpur Kheri districts.

Bahraich and Shravasti districts were worst-affected. Hundreds of villages have been inundated in Bahraich, while standing crops were also damaged. Central Water Commission said all prominent rivers including Ganga, Sharda, Ghagra and Gandak were flowing above the red mark. PTI&UNI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Heavy rains lash Madhya Pradesh, alert sounded in Bhopal

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu