Gujarat Rains: Heavy Showers Lead to Flash Floods in Vadodara, IMD Predicts More Rainfall in Coming Days

Ahmedabad, August 1: Heavy rainfall in Gujarat since the last few days led to flash floods in Vadodara. Several other parts of the state including Ahmedabad city and central Gujarat were also hit by torrential rains. Reports inform that as many as six people have died in rain-related incidents across the state. The Vadodara city received 442 mm of rainfall in just 12 hours on Wednesday, forcing shut-down of airports and cancellation of a few trains. Several places in central Gujarat witnessed a heavy downpour, registering as much as 10.5 inches during the last 24 hours.

According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), over 100 people were rescued from the swirling waters of the Vishwamitri river from Bhayli suburb in Vadodara. In the wake of the weather conditions in the state, the Vadodara District Collector issued instructions to keep all municipal, government and private schools closed following the heavy rains. Monsoon 2019: Heavy Rain Warning at Several Places in Gujarat.

Operations Halted at Vadodara Airport

Owing to heavy rainfall, flight operations have been halted at Vadodara Airport till 3 pm on Thursday, August 1. The order was issued following heavy downpour since Wednesday which has led to water-logging and garbage accumulation on the runway.

Vadodara Receives Highest Rainfall on Wednesday

Vadodara received 442 mm of rainfall between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm on Wednesday. This is the highest in Gujarat on July 31. A release by the state government said that of the 442 mm rainfall, 286 mm of rain fell in just four hours ending at 8.00 pm.

Several Trains Cancelled

In the wake of the heavy rainfall in Gujarat, the Western Railways has cancelled 5 trains while 2 trains have been short terminated. Meanwhile, two trains were short originated due to heavy rains and water logging, in Vadodara Junction railway station and surrounding areas.

CM Vijay Rupani Reviews Situation

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani called a meeting in the evening to review the situation in Vadodara, and asked IAS officers Vinod Rao and Lochan Sehra to rush to the city to provide guidance to the local administration in tackling the situation, it added.

IMD Predicts More Rains in Coming Days

As per Jayant Sarkar, Indian Meteorological Department's Gujarat head, heavy to very heavy rains is expected to lash South Gujarat and more rains in various parts of the state are expected till August 4 following low pressure created in eastern Madhya Pradesh. The official further informed that heavy rainfall is also expected in many Saurashtra regions like Dwarka, Jamnagar and Kutch.

Though rains lashed Gujarat late this year, a decent rainfall is expected in the week ahead with a low pressure system being created in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.  After heavy rains in the catchment area in MP, we are receiving 9,500 cusec waters in the Narmada river daily.

NDRF Teams Deployed at Several Locations

A total of 15 NDRF teams have been deployed in various parts of Gujarat as heavy rainfall is expected to hit the state in the coming days. Three teams have been deployed at Vadodara, while one each in Navsari, Valsad, Olpad, Upleta, Rajkot, Gir-Somnath, Patan, Aravalli, Palanpur, Buj and Dahod. One team has been kept reserved at Gandhinagar.

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According to reports, water level in the Vishwamitri river, which is usually dry, increased to the level of 23 feet, rapidly rising towards the danger levels of 26 feet, authorities said. The nearby Ajwa dam's water level also increased to 209.45 feet against its warning level of 215 feet.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 01, 2019 09:13 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).