Rains batter Gujarat, red alert in 13 districts; 1,500 evacuated

Torrential rains have once again hit several parts of Gujarat since morning, leading to severe waterlogging and disrupting vehicular traffic in many places, particularly in Surat, Kheda, and Anand districts. Umarpada in Surat recorded nearly 8 inches of rain, while Borsad in Anand received over 6 inches of rainfall till 12 pm today.

Evacuation operations in rain-affected districts are underway. 17 NDRF teams, 33 SDRF platoons, and 6 Army columns have been actively deployed on the ground. Over 720 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas in Vadodara, Surat, Anand, and Narmada. As rivers surge, 21 dams in the state have been put on high alert. Meanwhile, the IMD has warned fishermen not to venture into the sea until August 2nd.

Surat Municipal Commissioner M Nagarajan highlighted that Surat is the worst-hit district, with Umarpada taluka recording 247 mm of rainfall during this period. He said, “Amid a red alert on Friday, around 1,500 residents have been relocated from low-lying areas to safer locations. Teams from the NDRF, SDRF, and the Indian Army are on standby to undertake rescue operations,” as per PTI.

“Schools and other educational institutions will remain closed on Friday and Saturday as a precautionary measure,” he further added.

Waterlogging across 59 spots in Surat

An official release while briefing about the situation said that waterlogging was reported in 59 spots across Surat city.

Nadiad in Kheda district received 191 mm of rainfall in 8 hours till 2 pm on Friday, leading to waterlogging in several low-lying areas of the city and rural areas. The district’s Vaso area received 177 mm of rainfall.

Borsad in Anand district received 170mm of rainfall between 6 am and 2 pm, followed by Khambhat which received 165 mm of rainfall.

Netrang in Bharuch district received 155 mm of rainfall while Petlad in Anand district and Sagbara in Narmada district received 152 mm of rainfall in eight hours, as per PTI.

Tapi district’s Dolvan received 149 mm of rainfall during this period, followed by Surat’s Ambika (146 mm), Narmada’s Garudeshwar (144 mm), Surat’s Areth (138 mm) and Dang’s Subir (137 mm).

Various agencies deployed 

Several areas in Ahmedabad also received spells of rain amid a red alert from Friday afternoon.

Relief Commissioner Makwana said 17 NDRF teams and 33 SDRF teams have been deployed in rain-affected areas across Gujarat. Whereas three NDRF teams are on standby.

Additionally, a database of available rescue boats and their operators in the district have been prepared to facilitate immediate rescue operations whenever required.

IMD issues red alert

A red alert has been issued for Friday for Narmada, Surat, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Bharuch, Tapi, Dang, Navsari, Valsad, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Bhavnagar, and Botad districts, as per the IMD’s forecast.

The forecast noted, “On August 1, heavy to very heavy rains at a few places with isolated extremely heavy falls are very likely in the districts of the Gujarat region, namely Ahmedabad and Anand; and in the districts of Saurashtra, namely Surendranagar, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, and Botad,” as per PTI.

Administrations of Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Bharuch. Anand, Narmada, Tapi, Dang, Chhota Udepur, Panchmahal, Dahod, and Mahisagar have been placed on high alert, officials said.

A holiday has been declared on Friday for all educational institutions in several districts, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Panchmahal, Anand, Bharuch, Navsari, Jamnagar, Kheda and Vadodara.