Over 16,000 shifted after heavy rain in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur, Neemuch

Heavy showers have brought life in the two neighbouring districts in western Madhya Pradesh to a standstill

People balance themselves on a boat at a flooded street during an evacuation following heavy monsoon rainfall, in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh on September 15, 2019.

Over 16,000 people from Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur and Neemuch districts were shifted to safety on Sunday after heavy rainfall caused water-logging in several areas there, an official said.

Heavy showers have been lashing the two neighbouring districts in western Madhya Pradesh for the past few days, crippling normal life in the region.

“Around 13,000 to 14,000 people have been rescued from about 100 to 125 villages in Mandsaur. Some of these villages have been fully vacated while others have been partially evacuated,” Superintendent of Police Hitesh Choudhary said.

Rescue operations are being carried out in full swing, he said. “We are keeping a close watch on the situation,” he added.

Nearly 2,300 people were also evacuated from the flooded Rampura town in Neemuch after an alarming rise in backwater levels of the Gandhi Sagar Dam in Mandsaur, an official at the Neemuch Collectorate said.

Rescuers kept vigil during the previous night, bringing flood-hit people to relief camps on Sunday, he said.

Mandsaur received 218 mm rain while Manasa town in Neemuch got 243 mm rain in 24 hours, ending on Sunday morning, as per the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) office here.

Mandsaur district received 1,927.8 mm rain from June 1 till date, against the normal quota of 742.1 mm, the IMD said. Similarly, Neemuch received 1,569.7 mm rain so far this monsoon against 706.9 mm of the normal quota, it said.

After heavy rains, 19 sluice gates of Gandhi Sagar Dam were opened and 4.93 lakh cusec water was discharged, the dam project’s Sub-Divisional Officer N.P. Dev said.

The released water was gushing downstream and entering parts of Rajasthan that borders Neemuch, he said.

Meanwhile, intermittent showers on Sunday lashed several parts of Madhya Pradesh, which has so far received 33% more rain than the season’s average, the IMD said.

The monsoon has weakened a bit in eastern Madhya Pradesh but is active in the western parts of the State, IMD Bhopal’s Senior Meteorologist G.D. Mishra said.

Heavy rainfall is likely in Alirajpur and Jhabua districts till Monday morning, he said.