Heavy rains hit portions of Gujarat for the fourth day in a row on Wednesday, leaving some locations severely damaged by flooding. Vadodara city was the worst-affected urban area, with several sections buried under 10 to 12 feet of water. According to sources, the state administration requested the Indian Army’s assistance for relief and rescue efforts due to the concerning circumstances, particularly in Vadodara.
According to state relief commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey, at least 28 people have died in Gujarat over the past three days due to rain-related incidents, and about 40,000 people have been evacuated from flood-affected districts to safety. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) released a red alert on Thursday for extremely heavy rainfall in isolated areas in many districts in the Saurashtra region, exacerbating the monsoon’s intensity.
Vadodara had significant flooding across a wide swath of low-lying areas despite a break in the rain, as the swelling Vishwamitri river that flows through the city overflowed its banks and flooded residential areas, submerging homes, roads, and cars. The Ajwa Dam’s water released and Tuesday morning’s intense rains caused the river to exceed its 25-foot danger barrier. Prime Minister Narendra Modi contacted Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to assess the situation amidst flood-like conditions that were occurring in numerous areas of Gujarat. He also promised the cooperation of the Centre in combating the natural calamity.
In the meantime, the state government released a statement stating that the chief minister requested the deployment of four Army columns and five more National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to deal with the flood situation in Vadodara. According to officials, rescue boats have been sent to Vadodara from Ahmedabad and Surat. In the past three days, at least 28 individuals have lost their lives in rain-related accidents; the districts of Rajkot, Anand, Mahisagar, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Morbi, Junagadh, and Bharuch have all recorded deaths.
Seven out of the eight persons who vanished on Sunday after their tractor-trolley washed away while they were traversing an overflowing causeway close to Dhavana village in the Halvad taluka of the Morbi district are among the deceased. A police officer said that their bodies had been found, but added that the six-year-old girl who vanished during the event is still missing.