Madhya Pradesh is likely to witness another spell of heavy rainfall on Sunday as a low-pressure area and the monsoon trough remain active over the eastern parts of the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rain alert for 14 districts, while several other areas are expected to receive light to moderate showers.
The weather system is expected to remain particularly active over the Jabalpur, Chambal and Narmadapuram divisions. According to the IMD Bhopal forecast, heavy rainfall is likely in Sheopur, Morena, Bhind, Shivpuri, Raisen, Narmadapuram, Betul, Narsinghpur, Chhindwara, Pandhurna, Seoni, Balaghat, Dindori and Sidhi during the next 24 hours.
Bhopal is likely to receive light rain, while several other districts may experience spells of heavy or light rainfall. The forecast comes after widespread rain across eastern Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, with rising water levels in rivers and streams reported from several districts.
Rivers and Streams in Spate
Continuous rainfall pushed several water bodies beyond their normal levels. In Balaghat, the Bhima stream near Nainpur was in spate, disrupting movement in the area.
Narsinghpur also witnessed a rise in the Narmada's water level amid continued rainfall and the opening of gates at Bargi Dam. The bridge at the Barman sand ghat was submerged, while the Jhansighat bridge connecting Narsinghpur and Jabalpur was also nearing inundation.
In Panna, a dumper was swept away in the strong current of the Shahpura River in the Dharampur police station area. The driver, identified as Sunny alias Rohit Singh, reportedly managed to swim to safety.
Road Washed Away in Sidhi
Heavy rain also damaged infrastructure in several parts of the state. In Sidhi, a large section of a road constructed around six months ago at a reported cost of ₹104 crore was washed away by strong water currents.
In Satna's Nagod area, three people were reportedly swept away along with a motorcycle while attempting to cross a swollen drain late Friday night. Two of them, Balendra Singh and Deepu Pandey, managed to swim out, while the third person remained missing.
In Chhatarpur's Maharajpur area, rising water in the Kumhed River created difficulties for residents of Harpai Purwa. Around 250-300 people were reportedly affected as the absence of a bridge makes connectivity difficult during periods of high water.
23-26 August Rain Forecast
Weather expert Shailendra Kumar Naik said eastern Madhya Pradesh remained particularly vulnerable to heavy rainfall on August 21 and 22. Rain activity is expected to continue between August 23 and 26, with the western parts of the state also likely to receive spells of heavy rain.
The IMD has forecast rain ranging from light to heavy across a large part of the state. Besides the 14 districts under the heavy rain alert, areas including Bhopal, Sehore, Rajgarh, Vidisha, Indore, Dhar, Alirajpur, Burhanpur, Barwani, Khandwa, Khargone, Jhabua, Ujjain, Neemuch, Mandsaur, Shajapur, Dewas, Ratlam, Harda, Gwalior, Guna, Datia, Ashoknagar, Jabalpur, Katni, Mandla, Rewa, Satna, Singrauli, Mauganj, Maihar, Shahdol, Umaria, Anuppur, Sagar, Panna, Damoh, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh and Niwari may receive rain.
Rainfall Deficit in 40 Districts
Despite the recent spell of rain, rainfall remains below normal in several parts of Madhya Pradesh. The eastern divisions of Jabalpur, Rewa, Sagar and Shahdol have recorded rainfall up to 19% below normal.
Several individual districts have recorded deficits ranging from 1% to 51%. These include Balaghat, Chhatarpur, Chhindwara, Damoh, Jabalpur, Katni, Maihar, Dindori, Mandla, Mauganj, Narsinghpur, Niwari, Pandhurna, Panna, Rewa, Sagar, Seoni and Tikamgarh.
In the western region, districts including Agar-Malwa, Alirajpur, Ashoknagar, Betul, Datia, Dewas, Dhar, Harda, Indore, Jhabua, Morena, Mandsaur, Narmadapuram, Neemuch, Raisen, Ratlam, Sehore, Shajapur, Sheopur, Shivpuri, Ujjain and Vidisha have also recorded rainfall below normal.
Bhopal's August Rainfall History
Bhopal typically receives significant rainfall during August. The city recorded around 35 inches of rain during August 2006, its highest monthly August rainfall in the figures cited in the report. The highest 24-hour rainfall was around 12 inches on August 14, 2006.
Jabalpur has recorded even higher August rainfall, with around 44 inches reported in August 1923. The city received about 13 inches in a single day on August 20 that year.
The state receives an average annual rainfall of around 37.3 inches. While June recorded a rainfall deficit, improved rainfall in July and August has helped narrow the gap, although the overall deficit remains.
