SATNA: Two Indian Air Force helicopters were deployed on Saturday evening to rescue people stranded in Chitrakoot after torrential rains caused the Mandakini river to overflow, inundating several parts of the pilgrimage town on the Madhya Pradesh-Uttar Pradesh border.
Three State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams were also involved in evacuating residents to safer locations, while Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is expected to conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas on Sunday.
Satna Collector Satish Kumar S said there had been no loss of life so far. He said the Mandakini’s catchment area received around 10 cm of rain within three hours, triggering the flooding.
An official said a dam breach in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh further aggravated the situation. Boats were deployed on flooded roads to evacuate people, while six relief shelters were arranged for those affected.
According to the Meteorological Department, Majhgawan tehsil, where Chitrakoot is located, recorded over 148 mm of rainfall between 8 am on Friday and 8.30 pm on Saturday.
Meteorologist S N Sahu of the IMD’s Bhopal office said Satna was likely to receive heavy rain until 8 am on Sunday. Light to moderate rainfall is expected on Sunday and Monday, followed by heavy rain on Tuesday and very heavy rain on Wednesday.
Satna district public relations officer Rajesh Singh said neighbouring Birsinghpur tehsil recorded 122 mm of rain between 8 am on Friday and 8 am on Saturday.
The Mandakini’s water level began receding on Saturday night after rainfall paused, though water from surrounding hills continued to flow into the river, Singh said.