JAIPUR/BHOPAL: Heavy rains lashed several districts of Rajasthan, creating a flood-like situation, with the army being called for rescue and relief in Kota. Bundi, Baran, Pratapgarh and Jhalawar districts in Hadauti region have been receiving heavy showers since Thursday night. In Gulzarpura area of Jodhpur, four people, including two children, were reportedly buried after a house collapsed due to the heavy rains.
The Met department has warned of heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours in 22 districts of the state. The Chambal, Parvati, Kalisindh and Paruvan rivers in the Hadauti region are above danger levels. In many areas, roads are submerged and water has entered houses. Army soldiers are delivering food to people trapped inside their houses and transporting residents to a safe place. Municipal divers and members of disaster relief force are also involved.
Lok Sabha Speaker and Kota Bundi MP Om Birla visited the flood affected areas and took stock of the relief work. He directed the administration to provide all possible help to the affected people.
The Met department has issued a red alert for Ajmer, Banswara, Baran, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Dungarpur, Jhalawar, Kota, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Sirohi, Tonk and Udaipur.
In Madhya Pradesh, four more deaths were reported during last 24 hours. A car carrying two women school teachers and the driver was swept in a flooded nullah in Ujjain district on Thursday. The teachers were returning after the Independence Day function at the school in Barkheda Khurd village. A youth drowned in flooded Sukkad river in Rajgarh district, while another youth is still missing in flooded river in the same district.
The Met department has forecast heavy rainfall in nine districts — Neemuch, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Agar-Malwa, Shajapur, Guna, Ashok Nagar, Rajgarh and Sheopur —over the next 24 hours.The situation in Mandsaur district which has reported five deaths remains grim particularly with Shivani river in spate.
Cloud seeding attempt in Marathwada on Sunday
After two failed attempts of cloud seeding — on August 10 in Aurangabad and July 24 in Solapur — the Maharashtra government will now make another bid in Aurangabad in the rain-deficit Marathwada region on Sunday. The contract for cloud seeding has been given to the Kyathi Climate Modification Consultants LLP. A team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology is assisting the revenue administration in the exercise. The government has approved `30 crore for the plan