Gujarat flood toll rises to 28, with over 40,000 displaced
Several regions in Gujarat were facing acute flood situation as heavy rainfall lashed parts of the western state.
Several regions in Gujarat were facing acute flood situation as heavy rainfall lashed parts of the western state for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, with Vadodara city being the worst-affected urban pocket where some areas were submerged under 10 to 12 feet of water. The alarming situation, especially in Vadodara, prompted the state government to rope in the help of Indian Army for relief and rescue operations, officials said.
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Rain-related incidents have claimed at least 28 lives in Gujarat in the last three days, while around 40,000 people have been evacuated from flood-affected areas to safety, state relief commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey told HT.
Making the monsoon fury worse is the latest forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rains in isolated parts in various districts in Saurashtra region on Thursday.
Though there was a pause in rainfall in Vadodara, the city grappled with severe flooding in a large swathe of low-lying areas after the swollen Vishwamitri river, flowing through the city, breached its banks and entered residential localities, inundating buildings, roads and vehicles. The river breached its danger mark of 25 feet on Tuesday morning following torrential rainfall and release of water from the Ajwa Dam.
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State’s health minister and government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel, who rushed to Vadodara on Wednesday to take stock of the situation, said some low-lying parts of the city were submerged under 10-12 feet of water while some areas experienced 4-5 feet of flooding.
“With the Ajwa Dam’s water level reaching a critical 213.8 feet, officials have shut its gates to stop more water from flowing into the already overflowing Vishwamitri river. The river, now at 37 feet, has crossed its danger level, causing it to overflow and flood large parts of the city,” Patel said, adding that over 5,000 people were evacuated and another 1,200 rescued so far in Vadodara.
Amid flood-like situation prevailing in several parts of Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up chief minister Bhupendra Patel to take stock of the situation, and assured the Centre’s support in tackling the natural disaster.
The chief minister, meanwhile, sought mobilisation of five additional National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and four Army columns to address the flood situation in Vadodara, the state government said in a release. Rescue boats from Ahmedabad and Surat have been dispatched to Vadodara, officials said.
At least 28 people have died in rain-related incidents in the last three days, with the deaths being reported from Rajkot, Anand, Mahisagar, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Morbi, Junagadh and Bharuch districts.
The deceased include seven of the eight people who went missing after the tractor trolley they were travelling in was swept away while crossing an overflowing causeway near Dhavana village under Halvad taluka of Morbi district on Sunday. Their bodies have been recovered, a police officer said, adding the whereabouts of a six-year-old girl who went missing in the incident are yet unknown.
At least nine people died in rain-related incidents, such as collapse of walls and drowning, in different parts of the state on Tuesday, while seven deaths were reported in similar incidents on Monday. Three members of a family drowned after their car got swept away in floodwaters in Rajkot on Wednesday, police said.
With the latest spell of heavy showers, Gujarat has so far received 934.49 mm or 105% of its average annual rainfall, the state emergency operations centre (SEOC) said.
On Wednesday, districts in the Saurashtra region such as Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Rajkot and Porbandar received between 50mm and 200 mm rainfall in 12-hour period ending 6 pm. Thirteen out of the state’s 251 talukas received more than 200 mm rainfall, and another 39 over 100 mm showers during this period.
At least 14 people were airlifted during the rescue operation in Porbandar district on Wednesday, with the district administration saying that villages had converted into islands following heavy rain and the release of Bhadar dam water.
According to officials, 140 reservoirs and dams, and 24 rivers in the state were flowing above the danger marks. Rains also disrupted the movement of traffic and trains as roads and railway lines were flooded. Out of 206 dams, 122 were put on high alert due to sharp rise in their water levels, officials said.
The flooding has severely impacted transportation, with railway tracks getting submerged, forcing cancellation of 48 trains. Another 14 trains were partially cancelled, six short-terminated while 23 others were diverted to alternative routes, the Western Railway’s Ahmedabad division said.