Raipur: Incessant heavy rains pounded several parts of Chhattisgarh on Friday, inundating low-lying areas, swelling rivers and cutting off remote settlements in the Bastar region, officials said.
A rain-related casualty was reported in Kondagaon district, where a 40-year-old farmer drowned after falling into a flooded drain while catching a fish in a partially submerged paddy field, they said.
In view of the severe weather conditions, district administrations declared a holiday for both government and private schools on Friday in eight districts - Dantewada, Bijapur, Kondagaon, Kanker, Bastar, Gariaband, Dhamtari and Durg.
The quarterly examination papers scheduled for the day in government schools were postponed in affected areas.
The worst-hit regions included parts of the Raipur, Bastar, and Durg divisions, where overflowing local streams submerged roads and residential localities.
In Jagdalpur, floodwaters inundated low-lying settlements and entered houses in several colonies. The deluge also submerged sections of National Highway-30, severely disrupting vehicular movement between Raipur and Jagdalpur.
An alert has been issued in low-lying and riverside areas along the Indravati River, which flows along Jagdalpur. The Bastar collector directed officials and the Home Guards commandant to remain in the field and monitor the situation.
Floodwaters have cut off several villages in Sukma and Bijapur districts, prompting the administration to urge citizens not to venture near swollen water bodies and to report emergencies to local disaster control rooms.
In Dhamtari district, water levels in major reservoirs rose rapidly due to continuous rainfall.
According to official data, as of 8 am, the Gangrel reservoir has reached 98.14 per cent of its capacity, Murumsilli 100 per cent, Dudhawa 97.21 per cent, and Sondhur 88.18 per cent.
To manage inflows, authorities have opened 10 gates at Gangrel to release 54,950 cusecs of water, sending 48,950 cusecs into the Mahanadi River and 6,000 cusecs into a canal via the Rudri barrage. Officials warned that further water release might be necessary depending on inflow levels.
Meanwhile, Rajnandgaon, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki and Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai districts have been witnessing continuous downpour since Thursday morning amid an orange alert.
Waterlogging near Chandandih along the Kumhari overbridge on the Raipur-Durg National Highway slowed traffic, forcing police to redirect vehicles onto alternative routes. In Raipur, areas including Sundar Nagar, Mahadevghat Road, and the old Vidhan Sabha Road experienced significant waterlogging.
According to the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Chhattisgarh has received normal rainfall so far this monsoon.
Between June 1 and September 25, the state recorded an average of 1,082.4 mm rainfall, which is 100.1 per cent of its 10-year seasonal benchmark of 1,081.5 mm. Over the past 24 hours alone, the state received an average precipitation of 52.8 mm.
Balrampur recorded the highest rainfall relative to its seasonal average at 169.4 per cent (1,527.7 mm), while Narayanpur recorded the highest cumulative rainfall at 1,600.4 mm, it said.
Some districts, however, have received below-normal rainfall. Surguja recorded 606.6 mm (75.5 per cent), Jashpur 828.7 mm (79.7 per cent), Kabirdham 672 mm (82.2 per cent), Bemetara 597.1 mm (74.5 per cent) and Kanker 1,110.7 mm (75.9 per cent).
Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki recorded 74.7 per cent and Bijapur 78.7 per cent of normal rainfall. Rainfall in Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma, Korba, Janjgir-Champa, Durg and Rajnandgaon was close to normal, the release said.
The Meteorological Centre in Raipur has forecast light to moderate rain across most parts of the state over the next 24 hours, with heavy downpours and thunderstorms likely at isolated locations.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
