Incessant rains: 5,000 people shifted to safer places in Bharuch and Vadodara districts

State has already received more than 120% of the season’s total rainfall

Handout photo taken and released by Gujarat Information Department shows a view of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam after its gates were opened to maintain the water level, on August 31, 2020.

As heavy rains continued in various parts of Gujarat, 5,000 people were shifted to safer places in Bharuch and Vadodara districts after several villages were flooded due to the rise in the level of the Narmada.

While 20 people have died in rain-related incidents since Friday, around 180 people have died due to lightening strikes, drowning, sweeping away in flood waters etc since the beginning of the monsoon in June.

The State has already received more than 120% of the season’s total rainfall, making it one of the heaviest monsoons in the last two decades.

Due to the continuous inflow from upstream in the Sardar Sarovar Dam over the Narmada near Kevadia village, 9.86 lakh cusecs (cubic foot per second) is being released from 23 of its 30 radial gates which have been opened, an official release said.

The water level of the dam has reached 132.9 metres as against its full capcity of 138.68 metres.

As the level is rising due to higher inflow from the catchment areas in Madhya Pradesh, the level of the Narmada has risen significantly in the last few days and water has now started entering the low-lying villages situated on its banks in Vadodara and Bharuch, Relief Commissioner Harshad Patel told reporters in Gandhinagar.

“Nearly 5,000 people living in these villages and in the low-lying areas of Bharuch town have been shifted to safer places. We urge people not to go near any river. District authorities and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been alerted across the State,” Mr. Patel said.

According to Mr. Patel, 13 NDRF teams and two SDRF teams have been deployed in the flood-affected areas.

More than 200 roads are shut due to floods. A road leading to Chandod village near the Narmada in Vadodara’s Dabhoi taluka has been shut to stop people from going near the river, local police said.

People from across the State visit the river bank in Chandod for ‘asthi visarjan’ (ashes immersion), as it’s a major pilgrimage centre along the river.

Heavy to very heavy rains lashed most parts of Gujarat since Saturday, raising the level of various rivers and causing flooding of causeways, residential areas, farms and internal roads of different districts, said officials.

Ahmedabad Collector K.K. Nirala on Monday issued an order to shut the Dhandhuka-Ahmedabad and Dhandhuka-Limbdi highways after the Sukhbhadar dam in neighbouring Botad district had overflowed and inundated them.

Rains lashed several parts on Monday also with 37 talukas recieving over 100 mm (heavy) showers till Monday evening.

Over 100 water bodies likes dams and reservoirs have overflown.