Rain torment continues, panic swells

THE RAINS that continued in the State capital for more than 24 hours and intensified into very heavy showers late on Thursday night caused lot of panic and chaotic situations in the low-lying areas that had been hit by flood situation twice before within a fortnight.

Low-lying areas inundated
THE RAINS that continued in the State capital for more than 24 hours and intensified into very heavy showers late on Thursday night caused lot of panic and chaotic situations in the low-lying areas that had been hit by flood situation twice before within a fortnight.

HT Image

However, apart from some kutchha houses and wall collapses that injured about five persons during the last 24 hours, there
were no reports of any major losses.

Water gushed into houses in the low-lying localities of Mahamai ka Bagh, Kammo ka Bagh, Dwarka Nagar, Tila Jamalpura, Naya Basera, Garam Gadhha, Rajendra Nagar, Pushpa Nagar, Indra Nagar, Navbahar Colony, Chhola, Navjeevan Colony, Sharda Nagar and Ashoka Garden but people were already on the alert and had either gone out to safer places or climbed on upper floors of the houses.

Two major encroachments – that of a nursing home at Tila Jamalpura and another over a nullah at G-210, Gautam Nagar, were razed by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation squad to ease the water flow.

As per reports received from Regiment Road, Kotwali, Berkhedi and Jehangirabad, three persons were injured after the parapet of a three-storey building in police lines collapsed.

Late on Thursday night, two children were injured when the wall of a house collapsed in Bagh Mugalia. A huge portion of a wall in BHEL establishment near Career College also collapsed although there was report of no injuries.

At Mahamai ka Bagh, three massive trees were uprooted that obstructed water flow in Patra Nullah on Thursday night. A BMC squad was rushed to the spot early in the morning to clear the obstacle. A wall of nullah at Pushpa Nagar collapsed causing water to gush into Ashoka Garden houses.

Thirty-five complaints were received at the BMC control room and action initiated accordingly. Trees were also uprooted at Char Imli, Harshvardhan Nagar, Sonia Gandhi Colony, Budhwara and near Sultania Hospital.

Both Mayor Sunil Sood and Municipal Commissioner Manish Singh constantly reviewed the BMC operations and kept in constant touch with the control room. They also visited several affected areas.

A total 10 JCB machines, 65 trucks, five Poclain machines and two-dozen personnel were pressed into service. Although, 10 boats and divers were kept ready they were not required.

District Collector S K Mishra, while talking to Hindustan Times, said the situation was totally under control and since the rains were of intermittent nature, not much problem was faced.

He said that relief camps were not needed as people preferred to remain around their houses. Around 6,000 food packets were distributed to the affected people.

FEAR REIGNED: The atmosphere in the City since Thursday evening, however, remained that of fear and apprehension as water-level in the nullahs rose fast.

By midnight, all main nullahs including Patra nullah were flowing at optimum level. When a heavy bout of rain lashed the City at around 1 am, water that had collected on roads started gushing into homes causing a chaotic situation.
Around 11 jeeps of the BMC and police were making announcements for the people to be on alert and move to safer places as water levels in homes rose.