Marooned villagers being rescued in MP

Bhopal, July 8 (UNI) Residents of ten villages -- cut off by floodwater in Madhya Pradesh's Harda district -- are being rescued by boats and shifted to relief camps, official sources said.

Related details were furnished at a meeting chaired here today by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to review the flood situation caused by two days of heavy rain, which is continuing.

Mr Chouhan directed officials to convey the needy -- in Indore, Bhopal and Hoshangabad divisions -- to safer places, arrange for food, monitor inflow in major and minor dams, alert villagers in low-lying areas prior to water release and monitor release from major dams in neighbouring states.

The state's principal river Narmada is flowing a metre below the danger level at Handia. As many as 400 houses were damaged yesterday by flooding in Rajgarh district's Bioara town where more than 2,000 food packets were distributed and one person died after being swept away. Fifteen houses were inundated in Betul district's Shahpur but the residents evacuated. A pond burst in that district.

A government jeep was swept away at Multai. A dozen relief camps were opened in Barwani district headquarters.

The meeting sanctioned Rs 1 crore for purchase of drums after Food Department officials drew attention to a shortage of 18,000 drums for storing kerosene.

UNI