Flood situation grim in Rajasthan

Monsoon fury: Heavy rain in Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, nearby areas

South-eastern Rajasthan continued to be hit by floods as heavy rain lashed Bhilwara, Chittorgarh and surrounding districts, increasing the water levels in many rivers.

The army and NDRF teams rescued 216 people after flood waters engulfed an entire village in Sapotara area of Karauli district, while eight members of a family were airlifted from Alwar on Thursday.

The water levels at Bedach, a tributary of Banas and Gambhiri rivers, caused concern in Chittorgarh district. Control room in-charge Prakash Chand said many have been moved to safer places in Bhilwara.

Army personnel drained six to eight feet of water in Jodhpur’s Sultan Nagar and Nat Basti.
The operation enabled the shifting of hundreds of stranded people. Jodhpur MLA and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot visited many people in the flood-hit areas.

In a rescue operation on Thursday, eight family members were airlifted in Alwar district near Bansur. 

Defence PRO Lt Co VK Ojha said: “We received a call from Alwar DM Mukhtanand Agarwal. A chopper was sent to rescue the family of three women, two men and three children. The operation was completed successfully by afternoon.”

Relief secretary Rohit Kumar said flood waters receded in Kota, while the situation continued to be grim in the south-eastern parts of the state.

He said SDRF, NDRF and Rajasthan Armed Constabulary were stationed in Bhilwara, Pali, Chittorgarh, Jhalawar and Kota.

The Met Department said Chittorgarh received a maximum of 76 mm rain, while Alwar recorded 17 mm, Sawai Madhopur 16 mm, Jodhpur 11 mm and Jaipur 1 mm.

Flood situation improves in Bihar

The flood situation improved in Bihar on Thursday, even as the IMD said the depression over Bangladesh and West Bengal was moving northwestward and was centered at about 280 km from Balasore in Odisha, PTI reports from New Delhi.

One person was killed in Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand after being caught in a landslide triggered by incessant rain, which caused the water levels to shoot up in most rivers in the state. In the national capital, the continuous downpour kept the mercury levels low even as waterlogging in various areas of the city caused traffic snarls, troubling the citizens.