1,200 rescued from Gujarat’s rain-hit areas, 1 dead in Tapi

Around 1,200 people have been rescued and hundreds more relocated to safer places as heavy showers battered south Gujarat districts, where Umbergaon taluka received over 1,100 mm rains in just 16 hours, an official said Thursday. One rain-related death was reported in Tapi district, while teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the state’s SDRF as well as the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Coast Guard were put on alert for rescue efforts, he said. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reviewed the rain situation and also spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who assured the Gujarat Government of all necessary assistance.

Valsad district was the worst affected by the recent rains, with Umbergaon taluka receiving over 1,100 mm rains between 6 am on Wednesday and 10 am on Thursday, State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) data showed. Many other talukas in the district received over 600 mm rains during the same period, it said.

A ‘red alert’, warning of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, was in effect since Wednesday for the southern districts of Valsad, Navsari, Surat, and Tapi, with NDRF and SDRF teams deployed there for rescue operations, Relief Commissioner Gaurang Makwana said.

“The Air Force and Coast Guard are also on alert and people will be airlifted if necessary, once weather conditions improve,” he told reporters. Makwana informed that deployment of disaster management personnel is being scaled up in view of increase in the intensity of rainfall, and rescue operations are being conducted in coordination with the administration, police, and local volunteers. “1,200 people have been rescued, and 1,500 residents in Surat moved to safe locations. In Navsari district, 200 people stranded across 11 villages due to rise in the water level of the Kaveri River have been rescued and relocated to safety,” said the IAS officer.

He said senior officials, including district collectors and mamlatdars (revenue department personnel), have been deployed in rain-affected areas.

Amid heavy rains, more than 300 roads were temporarily closed, over 200 trips of state-run buses were affected, while power outages were reported in many areas, stated the Relief Commissioner.

Surat has two NDRF and five SDRF teams, while two teams of the NDRF and four of the SDRF have been deployed in Valsad. For Navsari, 21 NDRF teams and two of the SDRF are being mobilised from Surat, according to Makwana.

SDRF and NDRF teams are also on standby in Amreli, Junagadh, and Bhavnagar, he added.

Chief Minister Patel visited the State Emergency Operation Centre in Gandhinagar and reviewed the situation arising due to heavy rains, especially in south Gujarat, stated an official release.

He spoke to Minister Naresh Patel and the Valsad collector about the situation in the district and received details of rescue and relief efforts from them and assured to send additional NDRF teams if required, said the release.

The CM also spoke to Surat and Navsari district collectors and instructed them to move people from low-lying areas and waterlogged localities to safe places.

The CM also spoke to Union Home Minister Shah and sought help from the Centre in rescue and relief operations in the state. Shah assured the Gujarat Government of all necessary assistance, it said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red rain alert for Valsad, Navsari, Dangs, Surat, Tapi districts for Thursday and Friday.

Local fire department personnel in Surat rescued and shifted several people to safer areas using boats. They moved 40 residents of the Pandesara area out due to waterlogging, department officials said.

Several talukas of Surat district, such as Umarpada, Ambika, Palsana and Mahuva, received heavy rains on Wednesday.

Surat collector Tejas Parmar said in a video message that heavy rainfall has been recorded in Umarpada, Bardoli, Mahuva, and Kamrej talukas.

Rains also lashed Ahmedabad city since Thursday morning, flooding a number of residential societies and shutting several underpasses, disrupting life.

Several trains to Mumbai were either cancelled or short-terminated because of the rise in water level in areas along the rail routes in south Gujarat. Western Railway launched a help desk for passenger convenience.

Heavy rains wreaked havoc in Dediapada and Sagbara talukas of Narmada district, cutting off several villages and leaving them without communication.

The IMD has issued a red alert for three districts — Panchmahal, Dahod and Mahisagar — all located in central Gujarat. An orange alert (indicating very heavy rainfall) has been issued for 11 districts, and yellow (moderate to heavy showers) for 10 others.

According to SEOC data, south Gujarat has already received over 62 percent of its average seasonal rainfall, even as other regions in the state remain rain deficient.

Overall, the state has so far received around 36 per cent of its annual average rains for the season, the data showed.