The 14-hour long and incessant rain recording 141 mm in Palamu caused extensive damages to two national highways and water bodies. The NH 98 and NH 75 stand broken.There is a 20-feet long wash out on the diversion of NH 98 near Bana. Similarly a pulya on NH 75 stands devastated. Palamu is only connected by railways.A water body Panerri Bandh overtopped and deluged a 150 meter stretch of road on Daltonganj Garhwa in Shahpur locality. This earthen bandh damaged three ahars.
The breaking of NH 98 and NH 75 and this water body saw a huge long queue of stranded vehicles. Repair of NH 98 looks a distant proposition as the wash out of the diversion is too enormous.With rain clouds still hovering people are cross fingered as to what would happen the coming night of July 16 and 17. The rains that lashed Palamu were of July 15 and July 16.DC Palamu K Srinivasan confirming 141 mm of rain fall in 14 hours time said the average rainfall in Palamu in July is 344 mm out of which by July 16 the rainfall in Palamu is already 305 mm. Srinivasan agreed that rains have severely affected surface transport and traffic on two NH 98 and NH 75 stand paralysed. Stranded lorry drivers fear attack by road robbers at night in such a state of huge disconnectivity.
Sources said if it does not rain Friday Saturday intervening night here then even it will take 24 hours time for water to receded but for the repair of two NHs the NHAI will have to work too hard. Srinivasan said he inspected half a dozen villages in Chainpur and gauged the damages. He said there is no report of any loss of life and property. Barring a reported wash away of a calf there is no other loss reporting of livestock.DC said all the BDOs and the COs and the police officers have been put on alert.Health officials too have been alerted he said. A big snake came out on the street of Nawa Toli where passes the turbulent river Koyal .The snake did not bite any one. This river Koyal is in huge spate.Rain water upto two feet was overtopping NH 75 near police line around ten this morning. A railway source said its bridges are safe and there is no water logging on its track in this CIC section of ECR under Dhanbad railway division.