Water level in Chambal river rises, MP, Rajasthan put on high alert

New Delhi: A high alert has been issued for several villages in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh due to the continuous rise in water level of Chambal river after heavy rains battered the states on Tuesday. Many villages in Madhya Pradesh have been placed on high alert, including Malhapura, Jhukri, Gauta and Fatehpura. Also, villages near the Chambal River have been put on alert. Villagers were also evacuated and moved to safer areas.

Heavy rain lashed the Gwalior-Chambal region in Madhya Pradesh, especially Sheopur and Shivpuri districts, officials said, adding NDRF and SDRF teams have rescued 1,600 people from the flooded area, but at least 200 villages are still stranded.

‘A total of 1,171 villages were affected in the Gwalior-Chambal region due to excessive rainfall, especially Shivpuri and Sheopur, where an unprecedented 800 mm rainfall (in the last 24 hours ending 8 am on Tuesday) resulted in flooding,’ Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

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Shivraj Singh Chouhan, early on Wednesday, tweeted that several people had been evacuated in the overnight rescue operation and that IG Chambal, IG Gwalior and authorities in the affected areas are discussing the flood situation by phone.

In the meantime, around 40 villages in Rajasthan’s Dholpur district are under threat of flooding due to heavy rains in the last 24 hours, officials said on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, following heavy showers in Kota division, the Chambal river barrage was opened after which water reached Dholpur, according to officials, adding that the water level of Chambal river in Dholpur had crossed the danger mark. As a result, about 40 villages in the surrounding area are at risk of flooding.

Mridul Kachhawa, the superintendent of police, has sent a team from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to Mandrayal and Karanpur in Rajasthan amid heavy rainfall. Furthermore, three gates of the Panchna Dam in Rajasthan were opened to allow more water to enter the Chambal River after the water level rose. With this, 1700 seconds of water were drained, and today, the level of the dam stands at 257.75 metres.

There was also heavy rainfall in Baran, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Jhalawar, Dausa, Tonk Bundi and Jaipur, leading to high inflow in some rivers and dams.