Archive · 31 Aug 2026
After Record Floods, Chitrakoot Faces Fresh River Alert
Chitrakoot had very large floods after heavy rain made the Mandakini River rise quickly.
Water entered homes, shops, temples and hotels near the river.
Many people had to be rescued from rooftops and buildings.
Rescue teams and helicopters helped move people to safety.
The river went down for a short time, but began rising again on Monday.
Officials told people near the river to move to safer places.
Roads and bridges were damaged, making travel difficult.
More rain is expected, so authorities are continuing warnings and relief work.
The Mandakini River rose again on Monday, prompting warnings near Chitrakoot’s Ramghat and other low-lying areas.
Weekend flooding submerged homes, hotels, temples, dharamshalas and more than 400 shops, while damaging roads and bridges.
Officials said water levels exceeded those of the 2003 floods and nearly 1,000 people were rescued during the initial emergency.
A bridge connecting the Ramghat-Nayagaon stretch with Hanuman Dhara was washed away or badly damaged, disrupting cross-border connectivity.
Heavy rain alerts remain in effect across eastern Madhya Pradesh, while Bansagar Dam releases placed 24 downstream villages on alert.
- Who
- Residents, traders, pilgrims and communities in Chitrakoot and other affected parts of Madhya Pradesh; rescue teams and local authorities responded.
- What
- Record-level flooding was followed by a renewed rise in the Mandakini River, causing fresh warnings and continued damage assessment and relief operations.
- When
- The initial flooding occurred over the weekend; the river began rising again on Monday morning. Schools in Satna were ordered closed on August 31 and September 1.
- Where
- Chitrakoot, along the Madhya Pradesh-Uttar Pradesh border, and several districts in eastern Madhya Pradesh were affected.
- Why
- Torrential and persistent rainfall in river and dam catchment areas caused rivers to swell and increased flood risk.
- Main river
- Mandakini River
- Rescues
- Nearly 1,000 people were rescued during the initial emergency.
- Shop damage
- More than 400 shops were inundated.
- Bridge damage
- A large section of the nearly 300-metre bridge near Ramghat was washed away or badly damaged.
- Weather warning
- Heavy rain alerts were issued for 11 districts in eastern Madhya Pradesh.
- Dam release
- Bansagar Dam was releasing about 2,454 cubic metres of water per second into the Son River.
- Downstream alert
- Twenty-four villages in Sidhi district were placed on alert.
- Reported casualties
- Madhya Pradesh officials reported no deaths during the initial rescue operation, while local reports from Uttar Pradesh said two people were killed and one remained missing.