Relentless monsoon rains have battered large parts of Chhattisgarh over the past few days, triggering flood-like conditions, disrupting road connectivity and leaving at least five people dead in rain-related incidents.
The worst-hit areas are spread across the Raipur, Bastar and Durg divisions, where overflowing rivers and streams have submerged roads and prompted authorities to issue alerts for people living along riverbanks.
In Gariaband district, a 55-year-old man was swept away while attempting to cross the swollen Sargi stream near Sahaspur village on Wednesday. His body was recovered nearly five kilometres downstream near Khuteri village.
Continuous rainfall has severely disrupted transport in the district, with National Highway-130 connecting Raipur with neighbouring Odisha remaining closed due to waterlogging. Several key roads, including the Gariaband-Mahasamund, Gariaband-Nagri-Dhamtari and Kochbay-Malgaon-Kasanala routes, have also been shut.
Gariaband collector Bhagwan Singh Uike said the district continued to face a critical situation due to incessant rainfall. Sixteen of the 21 gates of the Sikasar dam have been opened, releasing 44,000 cusecs of water against an inflow of 58,000 cusecs.
As a precaution, more than 50 students of a government-run girls’ residential school at Pantora were shifted to safer accommodation in Baruka village, while villages along the Pairi river have been placed on alert. The district hospital premises in Gariaband town were inundated with nearly three feet of water, prompting the deployment of police and district administration personnel in vulnerable areas.
{{/usCountry}}As a precaution, more than 50 students of a government-run girls’ residential school at Pantora were shifted to safer accommodation in Baruka village, while villages along the Pairi river have been placed on alert. The district hospital premises in Gariaband town were inundated with nearly three feet of water, prompting the deployment of police and district administration personnel in vulnerable areas.
{{/usCountry}}In neighbouring Dhamtari district, authorities opened the gates of the Sondhur dam after heavy rainfall pushed the reservoir level higher.
Rescue teams on Wednesday recovered the bodies of a couple who had been swept away along with their car while attempting to cross the flooded Lat rivulet bridge in Sarangarh-Bilaigarh district on July 26. Their vehicle was found around 150 metres downstream near Chikhli village.
In a separate incident, the body of a 20-year-old man from Durg-Bhilai, who was swept away by the strong current at the Damaudhara waterfall in Sakti district during an outing with friends, was recovered after an almost 24-hour search operation.
Heavy rain has also disrupted normal life in Bijapur district, where overflowing rivers and streams have cut off hundreds of villages from the district headquarters. Traffic has been affected on several roads, including the Bijapur-Bhairamgarh and Bijapur-Gangaloor routes. On Tuesday, a farmer died after a tree fell on him in the Gangaloor area during heavy downpour.
The district administration has advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel and refrain from crossing flooded rivers, streams and submerged bridges.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast moderate thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, rainfall and wind speeds of 40-60kmph in Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Bastar, Narayanpur and Kondagaon districts over the next 24 hours. Light to moderate rainfall is also expected at isolated places across several other districts, including Raipur, Dhamtari, Gariaband, Mahasamund, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Bilaspur, Korba, Surguja and Surajpur.