Bhopal: Incessant rain continues across Madhya Pradesh, with heavy downpours in some areas and light to moderate showers elsewhere. Increased monsoon activity, driven by a low-pressure system and associated weather patterns around the state, means the spell of rain is expected to continue for another four to five days. The Meteorological Department has issued a rain alert for several districts of the state for Thursday.
On Wednesday, the capital Bhopal and several other parts of the state also received heavy rainfall. Khargone recorded nine-and-a-half inches of rain over the past 36 hours, while Khandwa registered six-and-a-quarter inches. Bhopal too saw alternating spells of heavy and moderate rain from Tuesday night through to Wednesday night, continuing intermittently from morning until night. The capital recorded three-and-a-quarter inches of rain by Wednesday evening. Continuous rainfall has left several areas in flood-like conditions. According to the Meteorological Department, a low-pressure area currently lies over north-west Madhya Pradesh and its surrounding regions.
Continuous rain has raised the water level in the Veda river, causing the Uparveda dam's water level to rise. When the level reached 315.80 metres on Wednesday, the Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) began releasing water. Three gates were opened at 5am. Villages in the low-lying areas downstream of the dam were alerted, and residents were advised to stay away from areas with fast-flowing water.
The Madhya Pradesh Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for rain over the next 24 hours in Bhopal, Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, Narmadapuram, Rajgarh, Betul, Harda, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Khargone, Barwani and several other parts of the state. Meanwhile, a heavy rain alert has been issued for Shivpuri and Sheopur, with the department specifically appealing to residents of both districts to stay indoors.