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Gujarat: Heavy rainfall floods low-lying areas in parts of state; IMD issues ‘red alert’
The weather department predicts a ‘heavy to very heavy’ rain in several areas of Gujarat until Tuesday.
Amid heavy rainfall over the past two days, parts of Gujarat have been inundated, displacing hundreds of affected residents to safer locations. Navsari, in particular, faced severe flooding, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a “red alert” for the district on Monday, August 26.
“A red alert has been issued for Navsari district on the 25th and 26th of August... Maximum rainfall of 527 mm has been recorded, but it has not caused any damage in the district... The water level of the Purna and Kaveri rivers is above the danger level... As a precautionary measure, 102 people have been shifted from the Bilimora Nagar Palika,” Navsari Navsari district collector Kshipra S Agre said, as quoted by ANI.
A video from news agency ANI showed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescuing a person stranded in the Auranga River in the Khanjan Palia region of Valsad.
Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel directed officials on Sunday to evacuate people from low-lying areas to safer locations, according to ANI. The chief minister's office said that Valsad, Tapi, Navsari, Surat, Narmada, and Panchmahal districts in South Gujarat have been the most impacted by the downpour.
The weather department predicts a ‘heavy to very heavy’ rain in several areas, with isolated instances of ‘extremely heavy’ rainfall expected in the south Gujarat districts of Vadodara, Surat, Bharuch, Navsari, Valsad, as well as in Amreli and Bhavnagar in the Saurashtra region, continuing until Tuesday morning. Additionally, the IMD predicts 'heavy to very heavy' rain with isolated ‘extremely heavy’ downpours in the districts of Anand, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Morbi, Dwarka, and Kutch on Tuesday.
Normal life affected in parts of the state
Officials, according to PTI, said that several hundred people were relocated to safety in Valsad and Navsari districts as heavy rains pounded south Gujarat on Saturday and Sunday. Continuous rainfall over the past 48 hours has flooded low-lying areas, disrupting daily life and traffic. According to data from the State Emergency Operation Centre, Vapi taluka in Valsad district recorded 326 millimetres of rainfall in 24 hours ending at 6 am on Sunday, the highest in the state, while Khergam in Navsari received 248 mm since 6 am.
The chief minister also spoke with the collectors of the affected districts to get a detailed update on the situation and assured the SDRF and NDRF of full support from the state.
“There has been around 120 mm of rainfall in the city of Valsad since last night...Keeping this in mind, the water level in Kashmir Nagar of Valsad has started rising. So people are being shifted from here. So far, about a hundred families have been shifted,” said Valsad SDM Astha Solanki.
Due to rainfall in catchment areas, the water level at the Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam increased significantly, reaching 135.30 metres on Sunday, just below its full capacity level of 138.68 metres. According to SSNNL officials, the dam received 265,748 cusecs of water from upstream, prompting the opening of 15 radial gates for discharge.
As of Sunday, Gujarat's 206 reservoirs held 3.64 lakh million cubic feet of water, 65 per cent of their total capacity. Of these reservoirs, 72 were on high alert and 15 were on alert due to the rapid rise in water levels. The state has received 81.81 per cent of its average annual rainfall this season, with south Gujarat receiving 97.52 per cent, Kutch 90.18 per cent, and Saurashtra 84.92 per cent.
