Routine life paralysed in Gujarat following incessant rains over the past couple of days even as teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Air Force (IAF) and other State Government agencies have been constantly doing rescue and relief works.
Banaskantha and Sabarkantha in Northern parts of the State as well as south Gujarat district Valasad have been affected most. Traffic on Ahmedabad-Rajkot national highway hampered due to water logging resulted following heavy downpour in Chotila area. Transport has been brought to a standstill in the State as 19 State Highways and 102 roads are closed due to heavy downpour. The rescue teams have shifted more than 8,000 people to safer places in the past three days.
Sources said residential colonies in north Gujarat towns Dhanera and Deesa submerged in flooding water. Similar situation reported in Kalol town near the State capital Gandhinagar and Deodar in Banaskantha. In the past 24 hours north Gujarat region received heavy rain ranging from four to fourteen inches. The State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) data reveals that Gujarat has so far received almost 56.61 per cent of the total expected rainfall.
“State administration is on high-alert to cope up any sort of situation. In Banaskantha alone 1,800 people evacuated. State administration is in constant touch with the Prime Minister’s office and coordinating with the officials there over the on-going rescue operation,” said Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who called on a review meeting at the State capital
Gandhinagar in view of meteorology department’s forecast of heavy rains in the state in the next three days.
Rupani is in continuous contact with flood control room and supervising flood operations. He also conducted an aerial survey of the inundated Surendranagar district and held a meeting with officials and asked the administration to help people as heavy rain are expected till July 29.
As many as 12 teams of NDRF with 36 boats have joined into rescue and relief work, said the State Government, adding a column of Army too reached flood affected areas of north Gujarat from Dhrangadhra cantonment in Surendranagar district. Two aircraft of IAF reached could reach Deesa airstrip, said IAF spokesman.
Schools in Ahmedabad and other flood affected areas declared holiday. The State Government has also decided to postpone Narmada Yatra celebrations which were to start from Thursday to mark completion of Sardar Sarovar Dam project. The Rupani Government has also postpone Ahmedabad Heritage Mahotsav to mark recently obtain status of World Heritage City from August 1 to August 6. RJ Shah, director of relief said that food packets are being arranged at temporary relief camps.