Flood-like situation in parts of Rajasthan

Heavy rainfall and water released from the Jawai Dam have flooded parts of Jalore and neighbouring areas in Rajasthan where rescue and relief works continued by Army, NDRF and SDRF, officials said on Saturday.

More than 70,000 cusec of water was released from Pali district's Jawai dam, the largest in western Rajasthan, on Friday evening.

More than 3,000 people were relocated from the low laying areas of Jalore on Friday night while 42 people were rescued from Barmer district on Saturday. Rail and road routes in the region, mainly Jalore, have also been affected due to the incessant rainfall.

Chief minister Vasundhara Raje conducted areal survey of Pali and Sirohi by helicopter but she had to return to Jaipur without conducting the survey over Jalore due to bad weather.

In Jalore, Sirohi, Pali and Barmer districts, more than 2,000 people have been rescued by Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Stte Disaster Response Force (SDRF) since Monday.

In Jalore alone, 550 people have been rescued while more than 12 000 have been relocated to safer places.

"The situation in Jalore worsened due to release of water from Jawai dam. Many villages are inundated, relief camps have been set up at the sub-division level where thousands of people are staying and arrangement of food and drinking water has been made, Jalore Collector L N Soni said.

Soni said the district administrations in Pali and Jalore had alerted villagers before the gates were opened.

He informed that three columns of Army and teams of NDRF and SDRF are deployed for rescue and relief arrangements in the district.

Hemant Gera, secretary of the state disaster management and relief department, informed that 42 people were rescued today in a village of Barmer district.

"540 students from a girls' hostel in Bhainswara, Jalore, by Army last night. The army is also distributing food packets and providing medical aid to children who were evacuated last night," defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha said.