Rain fury: 2 washed away, 2 missing in floods in eastern Rajasthan; Army helps in rescue ops

Kota, Aug 23: Two people were washed away in floods and two others went missing in Baran and Bundi districts, as heavy rains continued to lash the region on Tuesday. Rural Development and Panchayti Raj Minister Ramesh Meena on Tuesday toured the rain-affected areas of Karauli district.

"Talked to the Principal Secretary to the CM and apprised him about the flood situation. Many villages have become islands. Villagers need help," Meena tweeted.

He instructed officials to arrange food and drinking water for the affected people. Torrential rains have created a flood-like situation in Rajasthan’s three districts - Jhalawar, Dholpur and Baran -- where the army and disaster relief team carried out operations to rescue about 1,100 people from across the state, officials said on Tuesday.

An IAF helicopter is also being deployed to airlift more than 50 people stuck in the waterlogged areas in Baran and Jhalawar districts while schools in all four districts of Kota division -- Kota, Baran, Jhalawar and Bundi -- have been shut, they said.

Secretary of Disaster Management and Relief Department Ashutosh Pednekar said army columns have been deployed in Dholpur and Jhalawar districts. Rivers like Chambal, Parvan, Parvati, and Kalisindh are flooded and excess water from overflowing dams is being released by opening their gates.

The body of 35-year-old Premnarayan Suman, a resident of Dabri Kakaji village in Baran district, who had been swept away in the flood on Monday evening, was recovered Tuesday from near his village, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Anta circle) Tarun Kant Somani said. In Bundi district, Satyanarayan Prajapat, 50, a resident of Suwasda village fell into an flooded anicut on Tuesday morning while he was on his way to collect fodder for cattle near his village.

Prajapat was found dead, Circle Inspector at (Nainwan) Babulal Meena said. Bodies of both, Suman and Prajapat, were handed over to their families after post mortem later in the day. In Baran’s Shekhapur village, a 20-year-old man, identified as Ekram, was swept away while crossing a flooded brook along with his two friends Monday evening.

Locals rescued the two youths, while Ekram has not been located yet, Station House Officer (Kawai) Man Singh said. In Kota district, search operations were on to locate Kudeep Chauhan, who had fallen into a swollen Chambal river near Nayapura crematorium ground Monday evening. Another youth who had fallen into the Chambal while taking a selfie Monday evening in Karbala area of Kota city, swam with the flow and came out on the other side of an over-bridge in Nayapura area, an eyewitness said.

In Dug town of Jhalawar district, Amritlal Tailor, his wife, and their three children were injured when their thatched house collapsed at around 5.30 on Tuesday when they were asleep, Dug SHO Amarnath said.

While Amritlal was referred to Jhalawar district hospital with fracture and critical injuries, four others from his family were under treatment at a local government hospital, he said. Baran Collector Narendra Gupta said that 11 people, stranded for two days in the submerged Khurai village under Chabra police station of Baran district, were on Tuesday evening airlifted to a safe place by an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter.

Jhalawar Collector Bharti Dixit said that 53 persons have been rescued through boats, while 49 others were still stuck by evening and attempts to rescue them were still on. During the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Tuesday, 29 cm rainfall occurred in Jhalawar’s Dug, followed by 26 cm in Arnod (Pratapgarh) and Pidawa (Jhalawar), 23 cm in Bakani (Jhalawar), 17 cm in Gangdhar and Pachpahad (Jhalawar), 16 cm in Aklera (Jhalawar), 15 cm in Asnawar (Jhalawar), and 13 cm in Jhalrapatan (Jhalawar).

Many other areas in east Rajasthan received below 13 cm rains during this period. On Tuesday till 5.30 pm, Jaisalmer recorded 20.2 mm rainfall followed by Jalore and Dabok, which received 13.5 mm and 13.4 mm rain. Chittorgarh recorded a rainfall of 12mm, Ajmer 6.3 mm, Banswara 4.5 mm, and Jaipur 3.6 mm.

The Met department warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Banswara and Dungarpur districts and heavy rainfall in Bhilwara and Chittorgarh districts on Tuesday.