On Tuesday, heavy rains continued to hit parts of Gujarat, killing at least 7 people. More than 15,000 people were evacuated in various areas and more than 300 people were rescued. The government launched a large-scale rescue operation.
Although the intensity of rains on Tuesday weakened from the previous day and mainly affected areas in Saurashtra district, the government launched a massive rescue operation and shifted thousands of people to shelters.
Six Army columns have been deployed for rescue operations – one each in Devbhoomi Dwarka, Anand, Vadodara, Kheda, Morbi and Rajkot districts – while 14 NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) platoons and 22 SDRF are supporting the disaster management efforts of the authorities. the government said in a press release.
Seven people have been killed in rain-related incidents since Monday. Four people were killed in wall collapses in Gandhinagar, Kheda and Vadodara districts, one person died when a tree fell on him in Anand district and two others drowned, the release said.
More than 12,000 people have been resettled in Vadodara (8,361 people) and Panchmahals (4,000 people), the two worst-affected districts, officials said.
So far, more than 2,3,870 people have been moved to safe places and 1,696 people have been rescued. They said those evacuated in the past two days include 1,200 people from Navsari, 800 people from Valsad, 200 people from Bharuch, 235 people from Kheda and 200 people from the Botad area.
“With the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Coast Guard, more than 300 people were rescued. We have sought IAF helicopters for rescue operations in Morbi and Jamnagar,” Rescue Commissioner Alok Pandey told the media stated at the briefing.
Among those evacuated were 75 pregnant women, including 45 in Vadodara and 30 in Devbhumi Dwarka district, who were shifted to the nearest health centre, the release said.
Concerning that the release of water from Kambuda dam may cause waterlogging in low-lying areas, the government authorities evacuated as many as 198 people from Kambuda village under Barwara taluka in Botad district.
Six employees of a substation in the Morbi region were rescued and moved to safety. In another incident, ten fire brigade teams and NDRF personnel rescued around 70 people and shifted them to safe locations after low-lying areas of Jamnagar city were flooded due to heavy downpour, the release said.
Flooding occurred in low-lying areas of Vadodara, with the water level of the Vishwamitri River flowing through the city breaching the danger line of 25 feet on Tuesday morning, disrupting traffic and affecting normal life.
According to the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), Vadodara city received 307 mm of rainfall between 6 am and 12 am on Monday, causing flooding in many areas.
Although the rains have stopped since early morning, parts of Vadodara city as well as major roads are still under knee-deep water, forcing people to stay indoors.
Residents living in Sayajigunj, Fatehgunj, Parshuram Bhattha, Harni, Motnath and Harni-Sama Link Road were the worst affected as water from Vishwamitri river entered the city after crossing the danger line in the early morning.
“The height of water flow in Vishwamitri is over 34 feet, well above the danger line of 25 feet. As a precautionary measure, the local administration has shifted more than 3,000 people from low-lying areas to safer places.
Sources said that as many as 11 people, including children, stranded in Lower Wadi area of Lalpur taluka in Jamnagar have been rescued with the help of Indian Air Force helicopters.
According to data shared by SEOC, the state has so far received close to 100% of the average annual rainfall, with Kutch, Saurashtra and southern Gujarat receiving 100% of the average annual rainfall this season. above.
The data shows that rainfall in Kutch region accounts for 116.79% of the seasonal average rainfall, northern Gujarat 79.99%, Saurashtra 101.52%, southern Gujarat 108.20% and central Gujarat 98.74%.
SEOC said 251 talukas in 33 districts received rainfall in the past 24 hours, with Tankara taluka in Morbi district receiving the highest rainfall of 347 mm.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rainfall in most parts of the state on Tuesday and in the Saurashtra-Kutch region on Wednesday and Thursday.
The IMD said heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places in many districts till Thursday.
The SEOC said at least 24 of the 251 talukas received more than 200 mm of rainfall, with 91 talukas experiencing showers of more than 100 mm in 24 hours.
Rajukot taluka received 201 mm rainfall in 12 hours since 6 am on Tuesday, Lodhika taluka in Rajkot district received rainfall Kotda Sangani in Rajkot received 191 mm of rainfall, making it one of the 18 districts in Saurashtra district that received more than 100 mm of rainfall during this period. one.
In its latest update, the state government said that water levels in 96 reservoirs exceeded dangerous levels and high alerts were sounded for them. Warnings have been issued when water levels in 19 reservoirs are approaching danger levels.
(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)
