Heavy rain wreaks havoc in Rajasthan

Deluge: Army deployed in suburban towns; schools remain closed

Heavy rain in Jaipur and eastern Rajasthan has led to flood-like situations, with Army personnel deployed at several places, including suburban towns of Jaipur.  Torrential rain wreaked havoc in towns like Bassi, Lalsot, and Chaksu. Kot-Khabda recorded the maximum rainfall of 30 cm till Sunday afternoon.

At the request of the Jaipur collector, around 70 Army personnel have been deployed in the Bassi and Chaksu areas. The collector has also declared compulsory holiday in all schools of Jaipur in the wake of the heavy rain and the warning issued by the Meteorology department.

“Around 70 Army personnel have been deployed in Chaksu and the suburban areas of Jaipur, where rainfall and subsequent damage has been very high. All schools have been asked to remain closed till Monday,” said a senior district administration official.  If the situation improves in the suburban towns, the schools could open on August 12, he added.

Meanwhile rescue teams from the state disaster management cell have been deployed in and around Jaipur to provide relief to people who have either remained in their houses or were stranded in the rains.

Additional district collectors and sub-divisional officers have asked to visit various places to monitor relief work.

Officials said the situation is grim in several low-lying areas in and around Jaipur due to heavy waterlogging, and relief operations are underway in full swing.

The district administration has also deployed civil defence teams across the entire city.
The rain started early on Sunday morning, and continued till late in the evening. Met department officials said Chaksu recorded 14 cm of rainfall, followed by 10 cm in Udaipurwati, 9 cm in Jamwaramgarh, 7 cm in Newai, 6 cm in Ramgarh-Pachwa, and 5 cm each in Bansur, Amber, Bassi, Shahpura, Kotputali, Malpura and Sawaimadhopur.

Army helicopters kept plying the entire day over Jaipur to take stock of rain damage. People faced a lot of inconvenience on the occasion of Raksha Bandan.

Barring the north-western districts of Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Churu and Sriganganagar, the entire state has seen heavy rain since Saturday night. Jaipur recorded a maximum rainfall of 27.3 mm at the airport, while the city areas recorded over 50 mm till Sunday afternoon.

The south-west monsoon will be active in the state in the next 24 hours, according to the weather forecast.