Heavy rain cripples normal life in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur; Sipat tehsil leads with 110 mm

Bilaspur, Jul 17 (PTI) Heavy rains lashed Bilaspur district in Chhattisgarh in the last 24 hours, inundating low-lying areas, disrupting rail and road traffic, forcing closure of schools, and prompting rescue operations, officials said on Friday. Bilaspur witnessed intermittent heavy rainfall from Thursday evening till Friday evening, while neighbouring districts of Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi (GPM), Mungeli and Janjgir-Champa received incessant rain over the last 24-48 hours, severely affecting normal life, officials said. "Sipat tehsil in the district received the highest rainfall at 110.2 mm, followed by Bilaspur tehsil with 90 mm," a district administration official said. Continuous rainfall led to severe waterlogging on several stretches of the national highways around Bilaspur, with four to five feet of water flowing over roads at some places, disrupting vehicular movement. Several roads in Bilaspur city resembled ponds as the Arpa river overflowed, leading to waterlogging that disrupted traffic and power supply in many localities. Heavy overnight rain also submerged tracks at Bilaspur railway station and its yard, officials said. "Operations of several trains were affected due to waterlogging on the tracks. At least five trains were cancelled, while three were either short-terminated or short-originated," a South East Central Railway (SECR) official said. The district administration said the rising water level in Arpa river was caused by heavy rainfall in Bilaspur district as well as upstream areas in GPM district and Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary in neighbouring Mungeli district. Gates of Arpa-Bhaisajhar barrage on the river have been partially opened to regulate the inflow and prevent flooding in Bilaspur city, it said. Several residential colonies, including Old Bus Stand, Sarkanda, Torwa, Shrikant Verma Marg, Vyapar Vihar, Hansa Vihar, Deorikhurd, Rajkishore Nagar, Mopka, Sirgitti, Mangla and Uslapur, in Bilaspur city remained inundated with two to three feet of water on roads. Rainwater entered hundreds of houses, forcing residents to spend the night in difficult conditions. Power supply was disrupted in several colonies after electricity poles collapsed and overhead wires snapped, officials said. Bilaspur Collector Sanjay Agrawal said he has directed officials to remain in the field and continuously monitor the situation. "Reports have been received of three to four feet of waterlogging in several areas, while swollen rivers and streams inundated low-lying localities. Some kutcha houses were also damaged, and affected residents are being shifted to safer places," Agrawal said. Revenue, municipal and panchayat officials have been directed to immediately survey affected areas and prepare compensation cases for those whose houses had been damaged, he said. Agrawal also appealed to people to avoid venturing near rivers, streams, causeways and waterlogged areas and urged parents to keep children away from such places. Schools in Bilaspur district remained closed on Friday as a precautionary measure. The collector and civic officials visited inundated localities on foot to inspect relief and rescue operations. Bilaspur police issued an advisory asking people to avoid low-lying roads and use elevated routes wherever possible. It also warned people against crossing submerged causeways or roads with flowing water. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Centre in Raipur said widespread rainfall, with isolated spells of heavy to very heavy rain, is likely to continue over central and north Chhattisgarh during the next 48 hours. It attributed the rainfall to a low-pressure area over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining Jharkhand and north Odisha, which has triggered widespread rain across central Chhattisgarh over the past 24 hours. PTI COR TKP BNM