Heavy downpours continued to lash parts of Gujarat on Thursday with many areas in the southern districts such as Navsari, Valsad, and Dangs witnessing knee-deep water as flood waters from swelling rivers entered villages and adjoining areas.
As roads were submerged, traffic movement was affected. The authorities closed the Ahmedabad-Mumbai national highway for traffic as the road has been submerged near Valsad. Similarly, more than 100 other routes/highways were also closed in the State.
According to Navsari Collector Amit Prakash Yadav, three rivers – Purna, Kaveri and Ambika, flowing through Navsari in south Gujarat — are in spate. The Purna exceeded the danger level on Wednesday night. In all, 40,000 people were affected in adjoining areas, 2,500 people were shifted to relief camps.
Authorities rescued 45 people stranded in Tapi and Vadodara districts in the early hours of Thursday, according to a State government release. In Dolvan taluka of Tapi, fire brigade personnel rescued 10 people stranded in a village facing a flood-like situation.
More than 30,000 people have been shifted from low-lying areas to safer locations across the flood-affected districts.
Heavy showers have been lashing many parts of the State since since Sunday.
The State has crossed 50% of its seasonal rainfall in exactly one month (June 14-July 14) in one of the fastest coverage of monsoon in last several years. More than 20 districts have received over 60-70 % of the season’s rainfall in just two weeks.
Heavy rain predicted across Gujarat
The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rain during the day at several places across Gujarat, including north and south parts and the Saurashtra region. Vansda taluk in Navsari district, received a whopping 394 mm rainfall in the last 24-hour period ending at 8 a.m. of Thursday, a release from the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) said.
Kaprada and Dharampur taluk in Valsad district received 377 mm and 340 mm rain, respectively, during the same time period. Dharampur taluk in Valsad district and Ranavav in Porbandar received 99 mm and 58 mm downpour, respectively, in just two hours from 6 am on Thursday, the SEOC said.
Forty teams of the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force have been deployed at various locations/districts as the monsoon intensifies.
The State authorities have closed schools and colleges in flood-affected districts in south Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch. The district administrations have also urged people to not venture out in water-logged localities.
