RAIPUR: Bharatiya Janata Party state president Kiran Singh Deo has written to Union Minister for Jal Shakti C.R. Paatil, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, and state Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Tank Ram Verma, seeking immediate relief for flood-hit areas in the Bastar division.
Deo pointed out that sudden water discharge from the Khatiguda Dam in Odisha, without advance warning or inter-state coordination, pushed the Indravati River well above danger levels. The discharge submerged several wards in Jagdalpur town and surrounding rural areas, destroying standing kharif crops across thousands of acres, damaging houses, and washing away livestock.
In his letter to Paatil, Deo urged the Central government to approve a special relief package and send an inter-ministerial team to assess damage in the tribal-dominated region. He requested immediate per-acre compensation for farmers from NDRF funds, priority housing under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for families whose homes were damaged, and direct benefit transfers (DBT) for lost livestock and small business losses.
Deo emphasised the need to reconstruct the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Jaura Nala to check soil erosion and water diversion into the Indravati River. He proposed constructing an automated gated regulator structure on Jaura Nala to manage water flow scientifically during the monsoon.
To improve flood management, Deo called for extensive afforestation, soil conservation, and contour trenching in the Indravati catchment area. He requested the Central Water Commission (CWC) to oversee a dredging project to remove silt from the Indravati riverbed and increase its water-holding capacity. He also suggested developing a comprehensive storm water drainage system for Jagdalpur under the AMRUT scheme, alongside guide bunds along vulnerable riverbanks.
Deo urged the Jal Shakti ministry to designate the CWC as the nodal agency for real-time telemetry data sharing between Odisha’s Khatiguda Dam authorities and the Chhattisgarh administration. Sensor-based warning systems in the Indravati basin would allow 24 to 48 hours of advance warning to evacuate low-lying areas.
In his communications to Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Revenue Minister Tank Ram Verma, Deo requested prompt state intervention for immediate relief distribution, swift loss assessment surveys, and long-term preventive measures against recurring flood disasters in the region.
