By IANS
Jaipur : Water continued to gush out from a dam in Rajasthan's Jodhpur district Sunday morning, two days after it breached following torrential rains, inundating several villages even as authorities said the water flow had reduced.
A portion of the 118-year-old Jaswant Sagar Dam in Jodhpur district, 340 km from here, breached Friday night after being fed by swollen rivers, transforming stretches of the desert land into a lake.
"The water coming out of the Jaswant Sagar Dam has reduced," N.P. Gangwar, Jodhpur collector, said.
Parts of Bilara town and around 12 villages in the district are submerged under three and six feet of water.
Over 20,000 people living in 59 villages have so far been taken to safer places, including 10,000 people from Balotra in Barmer district.
In a land where water is more precious than milk, it is ironical to see people praying for the water level to recede. "We are praying to god to lower the water levels both in the dam as well as the rivers," Prabha Devi, a resident of a village near Bilara town, said.
Reports from Bilara town said over 10 villages are submerged in around five feet of water and the water level in Luni river have risen alarmingly due to the dam breach, forcing authorities to declare a high alert in Sojat and Balotra towns.
Sojat, which falls, in Pali district is famous for its mehendi (henna) while Balotra in Barmer is known for its textile dyeing and printing.
The administration has stopped traffic on the Jaipur-Jodhpur highway and Northern Railways has cancelled or diverted several trains passing through the area. Around 30 buses ply daily on the Jaipur-Jodhpur route.
Pali, Sirohi and other nearby areas received heavy rainfall in the last few days. Life has been thrown out of gear in Pali district, which recorded 357 mm rain in the last few days, the highest in 24 years.
While local media reports said at least 14 people have died in rain related incidents in the state so far, there is no official confirmation.
"We are keeping a close watch on the situation and hope that it will improve by late evening," Gangwar said. "We have evacuated people living near the Luni river, near the dam and families living in low-lying areas to safer places," he said.
The desert district of Barmer was hit by one of the worst flash floods in August last year. Over 104 people lost their lives in the massive floods.