Ahmedabad, Jul 24 (PTI) Relentless downpours continued to paralyse Gujarat for the third consecutive day on Friday, cutting off dozens of villages and throwing life out of gear, with 38,000 people relocated to safer places and over 352 rescued, officials said.
With over 400 mm rainfall recorded in some locations in 24 hours, teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Army swung into action in flooded areas, while authorities shut schools and cancelled Mumbai-bound trains.
South Gujarat districts of Valsad, Navsari and Surat, and the districts of Ahmedabad and Kheda in the central part of the state recorded very heavy downpours in 24 hours ending 6 am.
A fresh spell of rain lashed Vav-Tharad, Amreli and Kheda districts since morning, keeping the administration on its toes.
"As many as 38,000 people have been relocated so far, primarily from the Navsari and Valsad districts. Most of these people have moved to their relatives' homes, while approximately 2,000 have been shifted to shelter homes. A total of 352 people have been rescued so far," Relief Commissioner Gaurang Makwana said.
He said that only one death has been officially reported in Tapi, and more information was being collected from affected districts.
Four NDRF teams, airlifted from Odisha, landed in Surat and were dispatched to Valsad and Navsari, and one was kept on standby in Surat, he said.
Two Army columns have reached Valsad and Navsari, and two additional teams were being dispatched in the affected districts. Depending on requirements and the evolving situation on Friday, further teams will be deployed, Makwana said.
As per the 24-hour rain data shared by the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), Mehmedabad in Kheda received 507 mm of rain, followed by Dholka in Ahmedabad (473 mm), Chikhli in Navsari (451 mm), Umbergaon in Valsad (434 mm) and Khergam in Navsari (434 mm).
As many as 35 talukas in the state received more than 200 mm of rain during this period, it stated.
In four hours since 6 am Friday, Deodar in Vav-Tharad district received 153 mm of rain, followed by Mehmedabad in Kheda which received 129 mm.
Patan, Amreli and Banaskantha were other districts that received a fresh spell of rains since Friday morning, the data showed.
Thousands of flood-affected people in Valsad, Navsari, Ahmedabad, Kheda and Dangs were being shifted to safer places, and hundreds rescued were with the help of NDRF and SDRF, with the Army and Coast Guard also kept on alert.
Army columns of Golden Kartar Division, deployed in Valsad, Navsari, and Ahmedabad city and rural areas, rescued stranded civilians, providing essential aid, the PRO Defence Gujarat stated on X.
Rivers, including Ambika in Tapi district and Par, Auranga and Daman Ganga, were overflowing, inundating low-lying areas along the banks.
In Ahmedabad, downpours threw life out of gear, making roads inaccessible and prompting closure of a dozen underpasses.
The state government has declared a holiday for schools and colleges in rain-affected districts.
As many as five trains towards Mumbai were cancelled for Friday due to waterlogging in rail routes in south Gujarat, officials said.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel instructed the administration to remain on high alert and keep a close watch on the situation.
As the flood situation in Valsad district worsened with Umbergaon taluka receiving over 1,300 mm rainfall in two days, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi reached there and took stock of the situation.
Due to the heavy rains and the release of water from the Madhuban Dam, rivers were flowing in spate.
The minister was informed that so far, around 12,376 people were evacuated and shifted to safer places.
The state government has deployed 17 high-ranking officers in Valsad district to tackle the flood situation, and Sanghavi expressed hope that the district will recover quickly, a release stated.
He suggested holding a meeting with the insurance company regarding the damage caused to traders and shopkeepers and making efforts to approve the people's claims as soon as possible, it said.
The IMD on Friday issued a red alert for Mahisanagar, Panchmahal and Dahod, and an orange alert for several districts of south and central Gujarat, including Valsad, Tapi, Navsari, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Kheda, Gandhinagar and Anand, etc.
As per IMD forecast, extreme rains are likely to ease from Monday, with Sabarkantha and Aravalli being put in the orange alert zone on Saturday, and Banaskantha and Sabarkantha on Sunday.
(Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)