Heavy rains lash Chhattisgarh; major rivers in spate

RAIPUR: Incessant rains continued to lash various parts of Chhattisgarh since Saturday night, sending major rivers into spate and disrupting normal life.
Districts falling under the Raipur and Durg divisions were the most affected by the downpour, which led to snapping of road links at various places due to overflowing of rivers and rivulets, officials said today.
Normal life was disrupted in towns like Raipur, Durg, Dhamtari, Gariaband and Mahasmund, where low-lying areas were inundated and road traffic was thrown out of gear due to waterlogging.
Meanwhile, an alert has been sounded in districts through which the Mahanadi river flows due to release of a large quantity of water into it from the Ravishankar Sagar dam (also called the Gangrel dam) following heavy rains.
Due to the downpour, the water level in the dam, one of the largest in the state located in Dhamtari district, has reached up to 95 per cent of its total capacity, said a senior official.
Therefore, 1 lakh cusec of water is being released from it into the Mahanadi river, N K Xaxa, secretary (revenue and disaster management) told PTI.
As water level may rise significantly due to rainfall as well as the release of water into the Mahanadi, an alert has been sounded in Gariaband, Dhamtari, Raipur, Mahasamund, Balodabazar, Janjgir-Champa and Raigarh districts for villages and cities situated along the river, he said.
The water level in the Mahanadi could rise further if heavy rainfall continues for the next 24 hours and there is a release of more water from the dam, he said.
Due to the continuous showers, many other rivers, including Pairi, Shivnath, Udanti, Sondhur and Kharun, are in spate, he said.
Road link to Gariband and some interior places in Durg and Raipur divisions have been snapped due to rains and overflowing of rivers and rivulets, he said.
However, a flood-like situation has not been reported so far from any part of the state, Xaxa said.
As per official figures, the state has received average rainfall of 45 mm in the past 24 hours (ended 8 am today).
During this period, Dhamtari district received the maximum rainfall at 189.5 mm followed by Gariaband (133.8 mm), Mahasamund (116.1 mm) and Balod (113.9 mm).
District collectors and division commissioners have been instructed to continuously monitor the situation and undertake relief work wherever needed, he said.
Besides, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Home Guard personnel have been asked to remain alert to tackle any exigency, Xaxa said.
Due to heavy rainfall schools remain closed today in Raipur and Dhamtari districts.
The meteorological centre in Raipur has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall at some places in Durg and Raipur divisions in the next 24 hours.
The Raipur division comprises Raipur, Balodabazar, Gariaband, Dhamtari and Mahasamund districts, while the Durg division consists of Durg, Balod, Rajnandgaon, Kabirdham and Bemetara districts.