Madhya Pradesh floods: Bridge washed away before inauguration

A part of a bridge built at a cost of Rs 9 crore over the Banganga in Seoni district in Madhya Pradesh was washed away in the floods caused by heavy rains. According to information, the bridge built in the Sunwara area at Banganga had not been inaugurated yet but traffic was permitted on it.

Rakesh Pal Singh, MLA of Keolari, said that due to heavy rains the water level in the river and risen and garbage got stuck in the railings of the bridge. A part of the bridge was washed away when the pressure due to rainwater increased.

Singh said the decade-old bridge between Bhimgarh and Chhapara had also been washed away in the rainwater. However, there has been no loss of life at both places.

Water in the Sanjay Sarovar dam had also overflown and all 10 gates of the dam had to be opened to clear it.

In related news, heavy rains in the catchment area of rivers in Madhya Pradesh led to a rise in water levels in several rivers in Maharashtra due to which portion of a bridge collapsed in the Nagpur district on Sunday.

Locals said that the collapse has led to the area being cut off and further claimed that the rising waters have affected numerous villages around the rivers.

The MLA from Ramtek, Ashish Jaiswal, stated that he was not aware if a flood warning had been received by the Maharashtra government from Madhya Pradesh, and added that more active measures for pre-flood evacuation should have been carried out.

"The catchment area of the river in Madhya Pradesh received heavy rainfall, therefore, it released large amounts of water from the dam. The rising water levels have affected several homes in the villages located near the river. Thousand of people have been affected due to it," Jaiswal said.

(With agency inputs)