Eight killed, 22,377 affected in Chhattisgarh floods, 16,000 rescued
Eight people were killed and around 16,000 rescued from flood-hit areas of Chhattisgarh following heavy rains last week, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said on Monday.
Sai conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in Sukma and Bastar districts and visited relief camps, where he met people displaced by the floods.
He said 22,377 people in 571 villages had been affected, while 173 relief camps had been set up to accommodate affected families.
"Continuous rainfall occurred for three to four days last week, affecting several districts. Today, I visited Sukma and Bastar and met affected people at relief camps," Sai told reporters in Jagdalpur.
Around 16,000 people have so far been rescued and shifted to safer locations, he said, adding that helicopters were also deployed to evacuate those stranded in flood-hit areas.
Eight people died in rain-related incidents and 172 livestock were killed, the chief minister said.
A survey of damage to houses and crops is underway. So far, 199 houses have been found completely damaged, while around 11,000 houses have suffered partial damage, Sai said.
The government will provide Rs 1.20 lakh to families whose houses have been completely damaged, while those whose houses suffered partial damage will receive compensation as per the Revenue Book Circular.
An additional Rs 10,000 will be provided from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to people whose houses have been damaged, he said.
Cheques were distributed to some affected people at relief camps on Monday.
"In this hour of disaster, the government stands completely with the affected people. I am happy that our administration is very alert and all necessary facilities, including food, water and medicines, are being provided at the relief camps," Sai said.
He said damage assessment was being carried out rapidly so that relief could be provided to affected families.
The Agriculture Department will assess crop damage after the floodwaters recede, the chief minister said.
Heavy rains lashed several parts of Chhattisgarh, particularly on September 24 and 25, inundating low-lying areas, disrupting road connectivity and triggering flood-like conditions.
Parts of the Raipur, Bastar and Durg divisions were among the worst affected.
Major rivers, including the Mahanadi, Indravati, Shivnath and Sabri, swelled following the rainfall, inundating villages and settlements along their banks and damaging crops.
