Raipur, Sep 25 The Chhattisgarh government has declared a holiday for schools across the state on Saturday due to heavy rainfall and flood-like situation in several areas.
In a post on ‘X’, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, while making the announcement of closure of all government, private and aided schools, said safety of students is the top priority.
The chief minister said heavy rainfall could lead to waterlogging, rising water levels in rivers and streams and transportation difficulties in several areas, and the decision was taken keeping in mind that schoolchildren do not have to face any risk.
He urged parents to keep their children at home, remain alert and avoid unnecessary travel.
The CM also instructed all district collectors to conduct relief and rescue operations with full vigilance in view of flooding and waterlogging caused by continuous rainfall, including in the Bastar division which comprises seven districts, another statement said.
“There should be no delay in providing assistance to people in need in affected areas. Keeping the safety of citizens as the highest priority, the administration should remain prepared to deal with every situation,” the release quoted Sai as saying.
He directed officials to continuously monitor the situation, with special attention to villages and settlements in low-lying areas and those located near rivers and streams.
Sai directed district administrations to remain on full alert citing the possibility of continued rainfall in the coming days, it said.
He asked relief and rescue teams to remain ready with necessary resources and directed district administrations, police, urban local bodies, panchayats and other departments to work in coordination so that immediate assistance could be provided in any emergency.
Sai also directed officials to ensure safe shelters, food, drinking water, medicines and other essential facilities for affected people as required.
He asked people not to venture unnecessarily into waterlogged areas, swollen rivers and streams or places witnessing strong currents and to follow advisories and directions issued by the district administration from time to time.
Heavy rain has continued to lash several parts of Chhattisgarh over the last two-three days, inundating low-lying areas, swelling rivers and streams, disrupting road connectivity and creating flood-like situations, particularly in the Bastar region.
A 40-year-old man died in a rain-related incident in Kondagaon district in Bastar region in the early hours of Friday, officials said.
Due to continuous rainfall, holidays were declared on Friday in schools in several districts, including Dantewada, Bijapur, Kondagaon, Kanker and Bastar in Bastar division, as well as Gariaband and Dhamtari in Raipur division and Durg district, they said.
Between June 1 and September 25, the state recorded an average of 1,082.4 mm rainfall, which is 100.1 per cent of its 10-year seasonal benchmark of 1,081.5 mm. Over the past 24 hours alone, the state received an average precipitation of 52.8 mm.
Balrampur recorded the highest rainfall relative to its seasonal average at 169.4 per cent (1,527.7 mm), while Narayanpur recorded the highest cumulative rainfall at 1,600.4 mm, it said.
Some districts, however, have received below-normal rainfall. Surguja recorded 606.6 mm (75.5 per cent), Jashpur 828.7 mm (79.7 per cent), Kabirdham 672 mm (82.2 per cent), Bemetara 597.1 mm (74.5 per cent) and Kanker 1,110.7 mm (75.9 per cent).
Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki recorded 74.7 per cent and Bijapur 78.7 per cent of normal rainfall. Rainfall in Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma, Korba, Janjgir-Champa, Durg and Rajnandgaon was close to normal.
(PTI News)
