Heavy rainfall for three days led to floods in many parts of the state. Five people died in Bastar district, two in Rajnandgaon district and one in Dhamtari district, they said. In many places houses have collapsed and power supply and telecommunication networks have snapped whereas over 1000 villages in Rajnandgaon, Kanker, Durg, Kawardha, Dhamtari, Bastar and Janjgir-Champa districts have been cut off. In the capital city also, several ponds were over flowing and low lying areas were inundated, they said adding, cases of water-borne diseases like diarrhoea had started pouring in from many parts of state.
Rivers like Mahadani, Indrawati, Baghnadi, Shivnath, Amner, Muska, Barkai, Kodri, Dudh, Charama Taduchi and Sabri are in spate and in certain places are flowing above the danger mark, flood control authorities said.
State Revenue Minister Brij Mohan Agrawal told Press Trust of India that the situation was improving on Thursday and rescue and relief efforts were being carried out on a war footing in the affected places.
The state government has released Rs 6 crore for flood relief operations in all the 16 districts of the state, he added.
Army was summoned for relief work in flood-hit Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday as incessant rains inundated several villages in Seoni, Mandla, Chhindwara and Jabalpur prompting the administration to evacuate people from low-lying areas.
Weather officials sounded a warning for heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours in Jabalpur, Rewa, Hoshangabad, Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain divisions, connection to over 60 villages was cut-off in the Mahakaushal region, official sources said in Bhopal. Though no loss of life was reported, normal life was paralysed in the region due to the heavy downpour under which over 1500 houses collapsed.
Following the heavy rains since last three days rivers Son, Benganga and Bagha rivers swelled inundating over 25 villages in Kirnapur and Lanjhi areas of Balaghat district, Collector Akash Tripathi said.
Army has been summoned to help in relief work as connection to some of these villages have been completely cut-off, he said. Except for the road to Jabalpur, all others have been severely affected by the rains. Police and home guard jawans have been pressed into action and relief activities are on in full swing, he said and added that help from the army is expected soon.
Over 100 families have been shifted from low-lying areas to temporary camps constructed at community halls and schools in Mandla district, Collector Prabhat Parashar said.