Madhya Pradesh floods: 14 dead, newly-constructed bridge washed away as heavy rains lash state

Heavy rains for the last three-four days have triggered flooding of major rivers in Central MP and Mahakoshal region, including the Narmada, Pench and Wainganga, affecting thousands of people.
While one bridge built around a decade back connected Chhapara and Bhimgarh, the other bridge whose construction was completed just two months back connected Sonwara and Dhanora. (Photo | Express)
While one bridge built around a decade back connected Chhapara and Bhimgarh, the other bridge whose construction was completed just two months back connected Sonwara and Dhanora. (Photo | Express)

BHOPAL: Torrential rains in many parts of Madhya Pradesh have claimed as many as 14 lives, displacing the population of over 450 villages in the state and also triggered the collapse of two high capacity road bridges.

Both the bridges which collapsed were built over the Wainganga river in Seoni district in the Mahakoshal region of the central Indian state.

While one bridge built around a decade back connected Chhapara and Bhimgarh, the other bridge whose construction was completed just two months back connected Sonwara and Dhanora.

Each of the two bridges were constructed at a cost of more than Rs 3 crore. 

The second bridge was built under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

Its construction had begun in September 2018 and completed only two months back. Though the bridge was yet to be officially inaugurated, it was already in use. 

“The bridge was 150-metre-long and 9.28 metre high. Its construction was completed in June 2020. Heavy rains over the last few days caused flooding in the Wainganga river and its tributary. Heavy rains and flooding of the river caused the Bhimgarh Dam to be filled to full capacity.

"Owing to the dam getting filled up to its full capacity, excess water had to be released from the Dam on August 27-28 night, which caused the bridge completed two months back to collapse,”  Executive Engineer (PMGSY) in Seoni district JP Mehra said.

The Seoni district police superintendent Kumar Prateek confirmed the collapse of the two bridges and as well as deaths of two people due to flood and rain related mishaps in the district.

The Seoni District Administration, meanwhile, has ordered a probe into the accident.

The other bridge which was built over the same Wainganga river around 10 years back by the PWD department is located just three kilometers from the Bhimgarh Dam, from which around 2.20 lakh cusecs of water was released over the last two days. 

Meanwhile, heavy rains for the last three-four days have triggered flooding of major rivers in Central MP and Mahakoshal region, including the Narmada, Pench and Wainganga, affecting thousands of people in at least 12 districts.

The worst hit districts include Hoshanganad, Bhopal, Chhindwara, Sehore, Raisen, Narsinghpur, Seoni, Balaghat, Harda, Vidisha and Dewas.

Earlier today, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan conducted an aerial survey of the affected districts and also reviewed the rescue works being carried out by the local administration and police, NDRF and SDRF teams as well as four Indian Army columns and three Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers. 

Around 11,000 people have been rescued so far by the NDRF, SDRF, Army teams as well as the IAF choppers. 

As many as 120 out of 251 reservoirs in the state are full, requiring dam gates to be opened to let out excess water.

Overall, the state has received 815.2mm of rainfall till Saturday morning against the expected rain of 743 mm. 

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The New Indian Express
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