Flood like situation in western Rajasthan

After dealing with soaring temperatures, Rajasthan is now dealing with another crisis. Rains due to Cyclone Phet has brought rains to Rajasthan but have also caused a lot of havoc. In fact, two villages in the Jaisalmer district have been completely cut off but the army has been called in to assist in rescue operations and at least 100 people have been rescued so far. Heavy rain coupled with high winds lashed western parts of the state on Monday, throwing life out of normal gear. Several villages in Jaisalmer were inundated after overnight rain caused flash floods in the region, said sources. Army’s rescue teams were deployed in Lathi village, some 60 km from Jaisalmer, where efforts were on to rescue over 60 people trapped in a mosque. “We have alerted Air Force also and their help will be taken in case of exigency,” said Ramesh Chandra Agarwal, SDM, Jaisalmer. Meanwhile, reports suggest that a large number of livestock also died in the rain. Cows kept at Madariay Goshala in Jaisalmer met a watery grave due to flash floods. “We are keeping a constant watch in sensitive areas,” said S C Gupta, SDO, Pokhran.

Intermittent rain for over 14 hours in the region paralysed train services as at east four Jaisalmer-bound trains were terminated or cancelled following damages in tracks. Over 250 foreign tourists are also stranded in Jaisalmer and Jodhpur after cancellation of trains and bad weather. According to Met sources, the rain and the winds were the fallout of ‘Phet’ storm, which had its maximum impact in coastal areas of Gujarat before it proceeded towards Pakistan. Trains stopped due to rain The district administration in Jaisalmer rushed rescue teams to villages like Ramderam ki Basti, Moradri, Eka Odhania, Khetolai and Surajsar villages to evacuate people. Traffic was paralysed on Pokhran-Jaisalmer highway due to waterlogging. According to Met office, Jaisalmer recorded 106.9 mm of rainfall till Sunday morning where as Pokhran had 115.4 mm of rain. the tracks between Odhaniya Chacha-Ashapura Gomat in Phalodi- Jaisalmer section of Jodhpur division were under water.