Gujarat Floods: Rescue Operations Continue as Water Enters Many Houses; Heavy Rains Expected Till July 29

Heavy rains in Gujarat in the past few weeks have created a havoc in the state due to flooding in several parts of the state.

Updated: July 25, 2017 10:42 AM IST

By Pooja Darade

Gujarat Floods: Rescue Operations Continue as Water Enters Many Houses; Heavy Rains Expected Till July 29

Mumbai, July 25: Heavy rains in Gujarat in the past few weeks have created a havoc in the state due to flooding in several parts of the state. Overall, 70 people have died in Gujarat due to rains till now, say reports. With no relief in sight, the Skymet Weather forecast has predicted that moderate to heavy rains will continue over North Gujarat for a few more days, whereas, decent to good showers are expected in Ahmedabad and Rajkot regions. The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall in many parts of the state today and tomorrow. Heavy to very heavy rainfall in many regions of Gujarat is expected to continue till July 29.

At least 25,000 people have been evacuated from the flood-prone areas in the state. A high alert has been announced as more than 20 highways of Gujarat are submerged in water, reports NDTV. The worst hit areas due to sever waterlogging are Surendranagar, Rajkot, Morbi districts. The National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried rescue operations in these regions and other different places. Several trains in the state were cancelled due to waterlogging in Maliya Miyana town of Morbi district. Due to no proper drainage system, there is waterlogging in South Gujarat cities like Surat, Navsari, and Vadodara. The waterlogging in these cities affected the road services and created a flood-like situation.

Rescue operations in Gujarat

Rescue operations in Gujarat

According to ANI,  due to excessive rainfall and heavy flooding, water entered many houses and residential areas in Gujarat’s Patan. The two dams in Gujarat – Sipu and Dantiwada, both in Banaskantha – have been overflowing due to excess inflow of water and the heavy downpour adding more to it. This overflow forced authorities to open seven gates of the Sipu dam and release 50,000 cusecs of water. As reported by ANI, the Army and Air Force reached the flood-hit Deesa of Banaskantha district for rescue operations. However, the extreme weather condition, rains and poor visibility affected the operation for some time. In Banaskantha district, 11,000 people have been evacuated. They have been given food packets and provided sheltered at a temporary relief camp. (ALSO READ: Monsoon 2017: Rains Wreak Havoc in Gujarat, Assam Flood Situation Improves )

Flood-like situation in Gujarat

Flood-like situation in Gujarat

Water enters residential areas in Gujarat

Water enters residential areas in Gujarat

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani personally conducted an aerial survey of the flood affected areas of Surendranagar district. He instructed officials to do the needful to help people affected in these flood-hit areas. The CM also took to Twitter appealing to the citizens of Gujarat to remain patient and assured that emergency services have been put in place with several requests for help in flood-affected regions. Vijay Rupani tweeted, “Govt is doing its best to rescue those hit by flood. 12 teams of NDRF & one Column of Army have been deployed in Banaskantha district.”

Due to heavy rainfall, train services have also been disrupted in Gujarat. On July 23, train services in Samkhiyali, Maliya Miyan, Wankaner, Surendranagar and Viramgam were suspended due to waterlogging on the route. Also, due to waterlogging on tracks, the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express was forced to return to Ahmedabad from Mehsana. As mentioned by the State Emergency Operations Centre, Gujarat has so far received almost 56.61 per cent of the total expected rainfall.

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