Parched Bundelkhand turns waterworld

BHOPAL: Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh that faced three years of successive drought and farmer suicides is now waterlogged following three days of rainfall. All districts of the backward region now face another extremity of weather — floods. All the water bodies, which were empty till Wednesday, are overflowing.
Thousands of people are marooned at different locations in the three districts of Tikamgarh, Damoh and Sagar because of overflowing rivulets and rivers, that have cut off areas from remaining parts of the state.
The administration has announced that schools will remain closed till Monday in all the three districts. The Weather office has issued warning for very heavy rainfall in Damoh, Tikamgarh and Sagar districts during next 24 hours.
Chief secretary Anthony De Sa said, “There has been no casualty on Thursday. We are coping with the situation and people are being evacuated.”
Dhasan and Jamdar rivers are in spate in Tikamgarh, one of the worst-affected drought districts of the region till the skies opened up. Dhasan was overflowing 7 feet above danger mark, on Thursday night.
A rescue team was rushed to save three farmers stranded in a village on account of swelling Dhasan river.
Flooded Dhasan and a swollen nullah marooned about 200 people in Mokhra village, about 35 km from district headquarter. All of them were rescued with help of rope. The district was cut off from remaining parts of state following incessant rainfall since Wednesday morning.
Damoh seems to have borne the brunt of rain fury, with district receiving 19 inches of rain till June 1 while it was 8.1 inches during past 24 hours. More than 20 villages in Hata tehsil have been vacated, as Vyarma and Sunar rivers are flooded. District collector Shriniwas Tiwari said, “Things are under control.”
Jamni river near Orcha in Tikamgarh was flowing 3 feet above danger mark. In Panna, Ken river has started swelling and floods are expected on Friday morning when water from upstream will reach Panna. Three bridges worth about Rs 45 crore were washed away in Panna. They include Shir Saha worth about Rs 27 crore. It was constructed on Baghin river, a tributary of Ken. Besides, Nachmora and Midhasan bridges on small rivulets were washed away.
Chhattarpur and Sagar received 114 and 103 mm of rainfall, respectively on Thursday.
All roads leading to Sagar, divisional headquarters of Bundelkhand region, were cut off. Thousands of trucks and other vehicles were stuck in jams. Bawna river was overflowing at Gyaraspur, about 100 km from Sagar. Similarly, vehicular traffic was disrupted near Raisen.
Sagar district collector Vikas Narwal said, “Schools and anganwadis are either flooded or have become inaccessible. Some of them have been reserved for relief camps to house people evacuated from flood-affected villages.”