The Madhya Pradesh government has moved in the Army to assist officials in evacuating villagers from areas facing submergence due to the swelling backwaters of the Chambal river in Bhind and Sheopur districts.
“As the inflow into the Gandhi Sagar dam has been more than the outflow, 75 Army personnel in Bhind and 29 in Sheopur have been called from Gwalior,” State Relief Commissioner Manish Rastogi said.
Although eight camps had been set up, villagers had not yet shifted there completely.
“Wherever needed, we will set up more camps,” Mr. Rastogi said.
The Central Water Commission had sounded an alert stating that the dam in the State was in a “great crisis” as the outflow remained at 5 lakh cusecs, while the inflow touched 16 lakh cusecs.
Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department official G.D. Mishra said the low pressure area had reached the northwest Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. “At this point, we still can’t negate it entirely. It will stay for at least 24 hours, after which its intensity is expected to reduce.”
As on Sunday, Madhya Pradesh had received 33% more rain than normal, with the western district of Mandsaur receiving 160% more rain. However, Sidhi and Shahdol districts stare at drought.
U.P. rivers in spate
In Uttar Pradesh, major rivers are in spate and some of them are flowing above the danger mark due to release of water from various dams, official sources said in Lucknow on Sunday.
According to a Central Water Commission report, the Ganga is flowing above the danger mark in Ballia and Ghazipur. In Varanasi, Allahabad and Badaun, the water level in the river is nearing the danger mark.
Similarly, the Yamuna is flowing above the danger mark in Hamipur and Chillaghat (Banda); the Betwa river is above the red mark in Hamirpur.
