Heavy rains ravage Chhattisgarh, washing away highways, cutting off villages

Torrential rains have wreaked havoc in several regions of Chhattisgarh and disrupted normal life. The heavy downpour has led to the collapse of a newly constructed highway and bridge between Dalli Rajhara and Manpur, cutting off around 70 villages and blocking routes to Maharashtra and Telangana. Apart from the damage to infrastructure, lightning strikes have tragically claimed three lives, including two farmers and a teenager.

The under-construction National Highway, connecting Dalli Rajhara with Gadchiroli, the border of Maharashtra, worth crores of rupees, has been washed away by the first rains. The highway and the bridge between Dalli Rajhara and Manpur have collapsed, turning nearly 70 villages into islands and cutting off 50,000 residents from the headquarters.

On Friday, lightning struck three people at different locations. In Balod district, two farmers lost their lives to lightning, with a mobile phone exploding in one incident. In Khairagarh district, a 15-year-old boy also died in a lightning strike.

Heavy rains in Chhattisgarh’s southern Sukma district on Friday night caused rivers and streams to overflow their banks, resulting in a complete traffic jam on NH-30 in Errabor area. Commuters were seen at both ends of the road as they waited for the water level to subside.

The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for heavy rainfall in nine districts — Raipur, Durg, Balod, Dhamtari, Gariaband, Kondagaon, Bastar, Dantewada and Sukma. In addition, an orange alert has been issued for six districts — Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kanker, Mohla-Manpur, Rajnandgaon and Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan.

The Flood Control Room in Chhattisgarh has reported average rainfall data. Bijapur district recorded the highest rainfall of 730.0 mm while Surguja recorded the least rainfall of 138.2 mm.

The state government has deployed rescue teams and set up relief camps. Authorities are urging residents to stay indoors and follow weather advisories. The state government has sought additional support from the central government to speed up relief and rehabilitation efforts.