As many as 13 people have died and three remained missing in various parts of Madhya Pradesh as a result of heavy rainfall over the last 72 hours. The Indian Meteorological Department on Thursday issued warnings of heavy rains in 14 districts over the next 24 hours.
The maximum amount of rainfall has been recorded in Bhopal and the western parts of Madhya Pradesh where over seven inches of rainfall was recorded in a period of 48 hours. The outburst of rains has led to the death of four people in the capital Bhopal, where three members of a family died in a wall collapse while another man was drowned in a flowing nullah. Bhopal was cut off from districts like Raisen and Sagar for a day when the rivers crossed the danger mark.
In Nagda, Ujjain district, the Chambal river was flowing above the danger mark and the seven gates of Gadgil dam had to be opened in Mandsaur. Sixteen out of 18 gates of Rajghat Dam on the Betwa river had to be opened as an emergency measure to prevent Chanderi and Ashoknagar from flooding.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called a high-level meeting of the chief secretary and DGP to review the situation of floods. Chouhan asked officials to create a state-level exclusive control room to monitor the flood situation, so that the response time of relief works could be shortened. A special toll-free number—1079—has been activated for people who need assistance.