The Chhattisgarh government has declared a holiday for schools across the State on Saturday (September 26, 2026), as heavy rain battered parts of the State, inundating several areas and cutting off villages.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, in a post on X on Friday (September 25, 2026), announced the closure of all government, private and aided schools, saying the safety of students was the top priority.
Mr. Sai said heavy rainfall could lead to waterlogging, rising water levels in rivers and streams, and transportation difficulties in several areas, and that the decision was taken to ensure children faced no risk.
He also instructed District Collectors to conduct relief and rescue operations with full vigilance in view of flooding and waterlogging caused by continuous rainfall, including in the Bastar division, which comprises seven districts, another statement said.
“There should be no delay in providing assistance to people in need in affected areas. Keeping the safety of citizens as the highest priority, the administration should remain prepared to deal with every situation,” the release quoted Mr. Sai as saying.
He directed officials to monitor the situation, with special attention to villages and settlements in low-lying areas and those near rivers and streams.
Incessant heavy rain battered several parts of the State on Friday (September 25, 2026), inundating low-lying areas, swelling rivers and cutting off remote settlements in the Bastar region.
Mr. Sai asked relief and rescue teams to remain ready with the necessary resources, and directed district administrations, the police, urban local bodies, panchayats and other departments to work in coordination so that immediate assistance is provided in any emergency.
He also directed officials to ensure safe shelters, food, drinking water, medicines and other essential facilities as required, and asked people not to venture unnecessarily into waterlogged areas or swollen rivers and streams, and to follow the district administration’s advisories.
A rain-related death was reported in Kondagaon district, where a farmer, 40, drowned on Friday (September 25, 2026) after falling into a flooded drain while trying to catch fish in a partially submerged paddy field, officials said.
Between June 1, 2026, and September 25, 2026, the State recorded an average of 1,082.4 mm of rainfall, which is 100.1% of its 10-year seasonal benchmark of 1,081.5 mm. Over the past 24 hours alone, the State received an average of 52.8 mm of rain.
Balrampur recorded the highest rainfall relative to its seasonal average, at 169.4% (1,527.7 mm), while Narayanpur recorded the highest cumulative rainfall, at 1,600.4 mm.
Some districts, however, received below-normal rainfall: Surguja recorded 606.6 mm (75.5%), Jashpur 828.7 mm (79.7%), Kabirdham 672 mm (82.2%), Bemetara 597.1 mm (74.5%) and Kanker 1,110.7 mm (75.9%). Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki recorded 74.7% and Bijapur 78.7% of normal rainfall. Rainfall in Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma, Korba, Janjgir-Champa, Durg and Rajnandgaon was close to normal.
Published – September 26, 2026 11:03 am IST
