Red and orange alerts issued for 14 districts in Malwa-Nimar region; Bhopal meets seasonal rainfall quota

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh is experiencing a spell of heavy rainfall in several regions on Sunday. The Meteorological Department has issued red and orange alerts for 14 districts in the Malwa-Nimar region. Moreover, the weather system is expected to strengthen over the western parts of the state in the next 24 hours.

Red alert on Sunday: A red alert for heavy rain has been issued for Ujjain, Dewas, Indore, Ratlam, Jhabua, Dhar, Alirajpur, Barwani and Khargone.

Orange alert on Sunday: An orange alert has been issued for heavy rains for Mandsaur, Agar-Malwa, Shajapur, Sehore and Khandwa.

Heavy rain on Sunday: There is a heavy rain alert for Bhopal, Rajgarh, Burhanpur, Harda, Narmadapuram, Betul, Guna, Shivpuri, Sheopur, Datia, Chhatarpur, Panna, Satna, Katni, Umaria, Rewa and Chhindwara.

Light rain and thunderstorms are also expected in Jabalpur, Seoni, Balaghat, Raisen and other districts of the state.

What do meteorologists say?

According to IMD Bhopal’s principal meteorologist Vedprakash Singh, a low pressure area near Rewa division has intensified into a deep depression and the monsoon trough is passing through Khajuraho and the low pressure area. A western disturbance is also active, contributing to continuous rainfall across the state.

The weather system is expected to strengthen over the western parts of the state in the next 24 hours. It will move further on August 26, after which it will weaken, leading to a decline in rainfall activity. However, a new system is expected to become active over the Bay of Bengal from August 30, which is likely to bring another round of heavy rainfall to the state.

The floodgates of the dam were opened

The continued heavy rains have caused rivers like the Narmada and Shipra to overflow and water levels in dams and reservoirs to rise. In Bhopal, the gates of Kerwa, Kaliyasot and Bhadbhada dams have been reopened and water levels have also risen at the Kolar dam near Bhopal.

Three gates of Halali dam in Raisen, along with three gates of Tawa dam in Narmadapuram and four gates of Johila dam in Umaria, were opened on Saturday. Water flow continues in Bansagar, Kundalia, Bargi, Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar dams.

Bhopal reached its rain quota

Bhopal has already achieved its seasonal rainfall quota, with over 10 cm of rain recorded overnight. In many areas, water has entered houses. In response, two gates of the Bhadbhada dam and 13 gates of the Kaliyasot dam have been opened to release excess water.