Day after rains, relief work on in Rajasthan

Authorities on Thursday undertook large-scale relief work to return normalcy in parts of Rajasthan where record-breaking rainfall had claimed 14 lives on Wednesday.

Normal life had been badly-hit in Jaipur's low-lying areas where people have been taking shelter in community halls, schools and other buildings.

Twenty-one JCB machines and 30 water pumps have been installed in such areas to remove debris of damaged structures or displaced objects and pump out accumulated rain water.

In low-lying colonies like Jawahar Nagar and Bhatta Basti, torrential rainfall which began on Tuesday night left thousands of people displaced and vehicles damaged.

Ten people had died in Jaipur itself, besides two in other districts.

"We distributed 35,000 food packets yesterday mainly in localities under Nahargarh, Galta Gate, Subhash Chowk, Bhatta Basti, Ramganj, Muhana and Jawahar Nagar police station areas and prepared 18,000 packets for distribution in the morning," Arun Garg, Additional District Collector, told PTI on Thursday.

"30 pumps have been installed to pump out rain water from the colonies where the rain water has accumulated and entered into houses. 21 JCB machines have also been pressed into service. A road connecting Kanwatia circle-Vidhyadhar Nagar was damaged and work to restore the route is on," Garg, who is looking after the relief work, said.

Meanwhile, nine teams headed by RAS officers and officials from Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC), Public Works Department, Revenue Department and Police will carry out a survey to assess the loss caused by the rainfall in the district.

Besides this, joint teams of the JMC and Medical Department will conduct surveys and distribute medicines in disease-prone areas after the rainfall.

Chief Secretary C K Mathew is monitoring the situation and taking feedback from the state disaster management authority.

Apart from Jaipur district, several other places in Jaipur and Ajmer divisions recorded heavy to very heavy rainfall during the last 24 hours.

Jaipur had received 172.4 mm rainfall, a record rainfall after 1981.

"On July 19, 1981, Jaipur had recorded 326 mm rainfall and since then, yesterday's rainfall is the heaviest," a MeT official said.

Director of the Jaipur MeT Department S S Singh said that Nagaur, Churu, Hanumangarh and SriGanganagar may record heavy rainfall during next 24 hours.

However, he said, Jaipur may only receive light rainfall during next few hours.