SATNA: Two Indian Air Force helicopters were deployed on Saturday evening to rescue stranded people in Chitrakoot after torrential rains caused the Mandakini river to overflow, flooding large parts of the pilgrimage town on the Madhya Pradesh-Uttar Pradesh border.Three State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams were also engaged in shifting people to safer places, an official said, adding that chief minister Mohan Yadav was expected to carry out an aerial inspection of the area on Sunday.“There has been no loss of life….The river’s catchment area received 10 cm of rain in just three hours, which led to the situation,” Satna collector Satish Kumar S told news agency PTI over phone late in the evening.Another official said a dam breach in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh worsened the situation.Boats were being used on inundated roads to rescue people and six relief shelters had been prepared to accommodate those affected, he said.Majhgawan tehsil, where Chitrakoot is located, recorded more than 148 mm of rainfall between 8 am on Friday and 8.30 pm on Saturday, a Meteorological Department official said.India Meteorological Department (IMD) Bhopal office meteorologist S N Sahu said Satna was likely to receive heavy rain until 8 am on Sunday.The district is expected to receive light to moderate rain on Sunday and Monday, heavy rain on Tuesday and very heavy rain on Wednesday, he added.Satna district public relations officer Rajesh Singh said neighbouring Birsinghpur tehsil recorded 122 mm of rainfall between 8 am on Friday and 8 am on Saturday.The water level in the Mandakini river began receding on Saturday night after rainfall eased, Singh said, adding that water from the nearby hills was still gushing into the river.(With agency inputs)
