Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel visits flood-hit areas as IMD forecasts more rain

The new chief minister of Gujarat has instructed district and municipal authorities of flood-affected areas, including Rajkot and Jamnagar, to relocate people from low-lying areas to safer places and IAF choppers have also been directed for rescue and relief works.

The newly sworn-in chief minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday visited some of the flood-affected areas in Jamnagar to take stock of the situation. This comes after he chaired a high-level review meeting on Monday to assess the flood situations in some parts of the Saurashtra region. Besides, he has also been reportedly making an aerial survey of the affected regions. According to reports, Jamnagar and Rajkot districts of Gujarat are worst-hit after heavy rain led to overflowing dams in the state.

Heavy rainfall in Gujarat has caused the death of three people in Rajkot and Jamnagar districts so far.

The chief minister has directed district and municipal authorities to shift people from the low-lying areas, and has also instructed three additional teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Rajkot, and two teams to Jamnagar. Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters have also been directed for rescue and relief works.

During Monday’s meeting, Patel instructed the state authorities to make arrangements to move nearly 35 trapped people in three villages, including those in Kalavad and Jamnagar – which were submerged in floodwater and completely secluded from the rest of the districts. He also asked Rajkot authorities to move people from low-lying regions to safe places to avoid any harm.

In the meeting, Rajkot collector Arun Mahesh Babu said that as many as 1,155 people have so far been relocated to safer regions in the district. Meanwhile, Jamnagar collector Sourabh Pardhi said that IAF choppers have airlifted nearly 20 people from different villages of the district, and also rescued 30 others.

Heavy rainfall in the state since Sunday has already claimed the lives of three people in Rajkot and Jamnagar. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has, however, forecasted more rainfall for Gujarat over the next five days till September 18. According to the latest IMD bulletin, an “associated cyclonic circulation now lies over south Gujarat region and extends up to 5.8km above mean sea level.”

Furthermore, the deep depression over Odisha has moved west-northwestwards and now lay over the north interior region of the eastern Indian state.

Under these conditions, “fairly widespread to widespread rainfall” with isolated heavy to very heavy downpours is very likely over Gujarat over the next three to four days. The IMD bulletin added that isolated extremely heavy rainfall is very likely over Gujarat on September 15.

(With inputs from PTI)