Jaipur: Widespread rainfall across the desert state on Tuesday gave much-wanted respite to people from the sweltering heat as most of the districts in Rajasthan, including the capital Jaipur, remained cloudy since Tuesday.
However, by the afternoon, rainfall began in over 11 districts, leading to waterlogging in several areas, including Jaipur, Dausa, and Sikar.
Meanwhile, in a tragic incident, a farmer lost his life due to a lightning strike in Kapura Dhaar village of Bayana, Bharatpur.
The deceased, Ramnivas Gurjar (60), was removing weeds along the boundary of his field when it started raining around 4 p.m. Seeking shelter, he sat under a tree, which was then struck by lightning.
Ramnivas fell unconscious on the spot. Hearing the thunderous sound, nearby farmers rushed to help and transported him to the Bayana Sub-District Hospital in a private vehicle. However, doctors declared him dead on arrival.
In another incident in Deeg, an 8-year-old child, Aakash, died due to a lightning strike in Nagla Maharaniyan village under Khoh police station limits. Aakash and his friend Madhav (10) were playing in the rain outside their house when the lightning struck.
Aakash died on the spot, while Madhav suffered burns. Madhav was first taken to Deeg Hospital and later referred to a higher medical centre in Bharatpur for further treatment. Aakash was the only brother of two sisters; his father, Sirdhari, is a farmer. The child’s body has been kept in the mortuary of Deeg Hospital.
The Meteorological Department has issued a rain alert for 28 districts on Wednesday. In the past 24 hours, several eastern Rajasthan districts – including Churu, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Jaipur, Alwar, Dausa, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur, and Ajmer – received between one to three inches of rainfall.
Jaipur alone recorded over 37 mm of rain by Tuesday evening. Farmers expressed relief as heavy rainfall, particularly in Alwar, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, and Churu, brought much-needed water to the region. These areas recorded between 10 to 60 mm of rainfall. Rain began in Churu around 3:30 p.m. and continued steadily.
Waterlogging was reported in multiple low-lying areas, including the city’s new bus stand, Nature Park, Bhartiya Hospital, Medical College, White Clock Tower, Lohia College, and Johri Sagar.
Traffic was also severely affected, especially in front of the government old age home near the new bus stand, where vehicles struggled through flooded roads.