As many as 6,577 persons from 394 villages of nine districts in Madhya Pradesh were rescued within 36 hours of heavy rain that lashed southern areas on Friday and Saturday. Seven deaths had been reported, the State government said.

Two columns of Army had been requisitioned to help with moving people to safer spots in Raisen and Hoshangabad districts, Manish Rastogi, Revenue Commissioner, told The Hindu. The Air Force had also been roped in.

“Rain is unprecedented like the previous year, but it didn’t rain this much in 24 hours last year,” Mr. Rastogi said. He added in 36 hours, most of the southern districts witnessed very heavy rain, such as Narsinghpur which received around 30 cm rain. “In Chhindwara and Sehore districts, we had to undertake air-lifting,” he said.

Rescuers were trying to reach two villages in Hoshangabad and Raisen districts which had become islands. “The Chief Minister is reviewing rescue efforts village-wise. District administration and State officers from Home, Revenue and Water Resource Departments are coordinating with the Army and the National Disaster Response Force,” said Mr. Rastogi.

“Through dense clouds and rain, we tried to conduct an aerial survey along the Narmada,” CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Saturday. “We reached the river but couldn’t see anything, and had to return.”

Owing to heavy rain, flood-like situation had developed in parts of Jabalpur, Bhopal and Hoshangabad divisions where heavy rain was expected to continue for the next 48 hours, he added. “By 10 a.m. the Narmada had breached the danger level in Hoshangabad,” he said.

Almost all dams across rivers were full to the brim, the CMO said. All 13 gates of the Tawa dam, 22 of the Indira Sagar dam, 21 of 23 gates of the Omkareshwar Dam and 17 of the 21 gates of the Bargi Dam have been opened.

At present, the well marked low pressure area is located around the central-north Madhya Pradesh and the associated cyclonic circulation is active with a south-west tilt up to an altitude of 7.6 km above the sea level, said Ved Prakash Singh, Scientist and Head (DWR / Seismology) at the India Meteorological Department, Bhopal.

IMD Bhopal’s senior meteorologist G.D. Mishra said only one district, Mandsaur, had received below normal rain from June to August 29.