Gujarat floods: Animals, birds rescued from Navsari, rivers and dams overflow
Gujarat rains: Unconfirmed reports say at least 106 people have died due to rain-related events across Gujarat.
Heavy rainfall continued to batter Gujarat Saturday with the Valsad and Navsari districts among the worst-affected. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a depression had formed this morning over the northeast Arabian Sea and off the coast of Saurashtra, and that as of 11.30 am it was 70 km south-southwest of Okha and moving in a north-northwest direction.
The IMD has predicted squally weather wind speeds reaching 55 km per hour and gusts of 65 km per hour off the coast of Gujarat both today and tomorrow, i.e., Sunday, and warned fishermen not to venture out to sea and people on land to stay away from the coastline.
Videos shared by news agency ANI show widespread flooding in parts of Gujarat, including rising water levels in Tapi River in Surat due to incessant heavy rainfall. A drone shot of the Tapi, taken Friday, shows a vast muddy stretch of the river in heavy flow.
On the horizon the river seems to expand almost as if it were a sea or an ocean and, as the camera pans, little patches of green can be seen in the middle of the river.
Another video shows the Veri Dam in Rajokt district's Gondal overflowing; there is so much water that even though the dam's gates are open and a torrent of water is flowing downriver, there is more water flowing over the top of the wall.
Earlier today, news agency ANI also said dozens of birds and animals, including cows, had to be rescued from villages in flood-affected areas of Navsari district. At least 811 people had been rescued from here in one day, P Swaroop, the relief commissioner, said Friday.
"District administration team worked from previous night to 5.30 am today (Friday) and rescued all people who were stuck," the Gujarat chief minister's office said.
The water level in the Purna river has gone up due to dams overflowing in Maharashtra.
Parts of the Auranga river are also overflowing and inundating low-lying areas, prompting disaster response teams to evacuate hundreds.
Several parts of Ahmedabad also faced waterlogging as rainfall lashed the city.
There was some relief for Surat, though, as cleaning work began today after flood waters receded from parts of the city. The municipal corporation also said it was working to remvoe garbage and waste that could pose health hazards; "People dumped garbage from houses and shops. We will try to resolve this issue..." Dr Ashish Naik, deputy commissioner (Health) said.
Amid the floods, state BJP chief CR Paatil said prime minister Narendra Modi, who was earlier chief minister of Gujarat, and home minister Amit Shah were monitoring the situation.
With input from ANI, PTI
