Gujarat has been hit by severe floods due to incessant rains over the past few days. The state has witnessed a heavy loss of life and property, with over 19 people losing their lives due to rain-related incidents, taking the overall death toll to 26 within four days. Around 17,800 people have been evacuated from flood-affected areas as heavy showers battered several parts of the state for the fourth consecutive day.
Floods in Vadodara have caused large-scale flooding in low-lying areas after the Vishwamitri river, flowing through the city, breached its banks and entered residential localities, inundating buildings, roads and vehicles.
The Saurashtra region has also been severely affected, with Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Rajkot and Porbandar receiving between 50mm and 200 mm rains in a 12-hour period that ended at 6 pm. Bhanvad taluka of Devbhumi Dwarka district received 185 mm rainfall during this period, the highest in the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also predicted extremely heavy rains in isolated parts of districts in Saurashtra on Thursday.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), its state counterpart SDRF, and three columns of the Army have been deployed to rescue people stranded in their houses and rooftops in Vadodara city. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called up Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to take stock of the situation and assured the Centre’s support to the state in tackling the natural disaster.
Cleaning equipment and disinfectants have also been deployed in Vadodara city as flood water starts receding. Teams from municipal corporations of Ahmedabad and Surat, and municipalities of Bharuch and Anand have been deployed in Vadodara for this purpose. Furthermore, additional rescue boats have been sent from Ahmedabad and Surat to the flood-affected city.
As many as 26 persons have died in rain-related incidents in the last three days across Rajkot, Anand, Mahisagar, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Morbi, Junagadh, and Bharuch districts. Nine of these deaths were reported on Tuesday, and seven on Monday.
On Wednesday, three members of a family drowned after their car got swept away in floodwaters in Rajkot.
The floods have led to the disruption of the movement of traffic and trains as roads and railway lines were flooded. As many as 48 trains were cancelled, 14 partially annulled, and 6 short-terminated, with an additional 23 trains diverted to alternative routes according to the Western Railway’s Ahmedabad division.
According to an official release, 140 reservoirs and dams, and 24 rivers in the state were flowing above the danger marks. The floods have severely impacted the state, with a long road to recovery expected in the coming days.
In essence, the rainfall fury in Gujarat has continued, and the state is grappling with severe floods. The death toll has risen to 26, with many people having been evacuated from flood-affected areas. The deployment of rescue teams, cleaning equipment, and disinfectants will go a long way in bringing relief to the affected people.
