Heavy rain floods Bastar, submerges NH-30, shuts schools across Chhattisgarh

Incessant heavy rain battered several parts of Chhattisgarh on Friday, flooding low-lying areas, swelling rivers and cutting off remote settlements in the Bastar region, officials said. The severe weather also disrupted road traffic, affected residential localities and prompted district authorities to shut schools in several districts.

A rain-related death was reported in Kondagaon district, where a 40-year-old farmer drowned after falling into a flooded drain while catching fish in a partially submerged paddy field, officials said. In view of the weather conditions, district administrations declared a holiday for government and private schools in Dantewada, Bijapur, Kondagaon, Kanker, Bastar, Gariaband, Dhamtari and Durg, while quarterly examination papers scheduled for the day in government schools were postponed in affected areas.

The worst-hit regions included parts of the Raipur, Bastar and Durg divisions, where overflowing local streams submerged roads and residential areas. In Jagdalpur, floodwater entered houses in several low-lying colonies. Parts of National Highway-30 were also submerged, severely affecting vehicle movement between Raipur and Jagdalpur.

An alert was issued for low-lying and riverside areas along the Indravati river, which flows by Jagdalpur. The Bastar collector directed officials and the Home Guards commandant to stay in the field and monitor the situation. In Sukma and Bijapur districts, floodwater cut off several villages, and the administration asked people not to go near swollen water bodies and to report emergencies to local disaster control rooms.

In Dhamtari district, water levels in major reservoirs rose quickly because of continuous rain. Official data showed that, as of 8 am, the Gangrel reservoir was at 98.14 per cent of capacity, Murumsilli at 100 per cent, Dudhawa at 97.21 per cent and Sondhur at 88.18 per cent. To manage inflows, authorities opened 10 gates at Gangrel and released 54,950 cusecs of water, with 48,950 cusecs flowing into the Mahanadi river and 6,000 cusecs into a canal through the Rudri barrage. Officials said more water might have to be released depending on inflow levels.

Meanwhile, Rajnandgaon, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki and Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai districts had been receiving continuous rain since Thursday morning under an orange alert. Waterlogging near Chandandih along the Kumhari overbridge on the Raipur-Durg National Highway slowed traffic, and police diverted vehicles to alternative routes. In Raipur, areas such as Sundar Nagar, Mahadevghat Road and the old Vidhan Sabha Road saw significant waterlogging.

According to the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Chhattisgarh has received normal rainfall so far this monsoon. Between June 1 and September 25, the state recorded average rainfall of 1,082.4 mm, or 100.1 per cent of its 10-year seasonal benchmark of 1,081.5 mm. In the past 24 hours alone, the state received average rainfall of 52.8 mm.

Balrampur recorded the highest rainfall relative to its seasonal average at 169.4 per cent, or 1,527.7 mm, while Narayanpur recorded the highest cumulative rainfall at 1,600.4 mm. Some districts, however, received below-normal rainfall, including Surguja at 606.6 mm or 75.5 per cent, Jashpur at 828.7 mm or 79.7 per cent, Kabirdham at 672 mm or 82.2 per cent, Bemetara at 597.1 mm or 74.5 per cent, and Kanker at 1,110.7 mm or 75.9 per cent. Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki recorded 74.7 per cent of normal rainfall and Bijapur 78.7 per cent. Rainfall in Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma, Korba, Janjgir-Champa, Durg and Rajnandgaon was close to normal, the release said.

The Meteorological Centre in Raipur has forecast light to moderate rain in most parts of the state over the next 24 hours, with heavy showers and thunderstorms likely at isolated places, as Chhattisgarh continues to deal with flooding, waterlogging and disruption caused by the heavy spell.