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Madhya Pradesh villages flooded after Sardar Sarovar dam water released

The heavy rains this season has filled up the Sardar Sarovar dam in Gujarat near to its full capacity way before time.

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Flood water did not spare the famous Shiva Temple in Alirajpur
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Starting from Amarkantak, the river Narmada, known as the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, has become the cause of the crisis for thousands living at its basin. The heavy rains this season has filled up the Sardar Sarovar dam in Gujarat near to its full capacity way before time. As a result, more than 200 villages in the backwaters of this dam on the MP-Maharashtra border are flooded. Many villages in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra have also drowned.

These villages were not considered to be in the submergence area previously and hence the administration didn't propose to vacate the village. Crisis struck a fortnight ago when excess water released from the dam found its way into people's home at midnight, forcing them to relocate on higher grounds. Since then, the water level of the dam has not come below the caution mark of 138 meters and these villagers remain homeless. 26 villages of Alirajpur in Madhya Pradesh are in its grip. To get essential supplies, villagers have to resort to boats and 'sail' to the cities on roads that have now turned into canals. Zee Media's team visited many such villages in this area and found precarious conditions.

Locals say they are staring at huge losses as their farmlands are submerged and household items destroyed. Some are hoping for government aid as soon as possible. "All we can hope is relief sooner than anything. We are left with nothing and our livelihoods depend on our farms. This is a disaster," said a tensed farmer.

A similar situation persists in 175 villages of Khargone, Barwani and Khandwa in the state. Some villages are practically cut off from the rest of the area like an island on the floodwater. A well known Shiva temple in this area, on which legend is that Ashwatthama still comes here daily to worship, is completely submerged with only the topmost dome visible.

The Madhya Pradesh government has said that water up to 139 meters should have been kept only after September 30. But the Gujarat government, bypassing the schedule of the Narmada Control Authority, filled the water up to a height of 135.12 meters in the dam 26 days before the scheduled date. After this, water was allowed to fill up to 138 meters.

The state government says that surveys conducted by the past governments were responsible for assessing the submergence area. Therefore, a re-survey of areas at risk of flooding will be conducted.

Zee Media Newsroom

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