AHMEDABAD/BHOPAL: Heavy rains have lashed several parts of Gujarat, leading to a flood-like situation in several districts in the south and western parts of the state. The same was the situation in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
PM Modi called up Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and assured him of all possible help from the central government, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a statement. The water level in some rivers has gone up, flooding the low-lying areas, including Ahmedabad, which received a heavy downpour in the last 24 hours.
In Ahmedabad, 6,000 people living in low-lying areas have been shifted. As many as 13 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams along with personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed. More than 400 people have been evacuated in Chota Udaipur, 550 in Navsari, and more than 450 in Valsad in South Gujarat, official sources said on Monday.
Due to the incessant rains, 388 roads, including state highways and panchayat roads, were closed for vehicular traffic. A portion of the famous Arjun Nath temple located in Chhota Udaipur district collapsed on Monday due to incessant rains. No one was reportedly injured in the incident.
At least 174 villages across Gujarat lost power supply in the heavy rain. Most of the villages lie in the tribal district of Chhota Udaipur. The authorities in the Navsari district were also on alert as the Kaveri and Ambika rivers flowed above the danger mark. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rain during the next five days in south Gujarat, and heavy downpours in central parts of the state and Saurashtra.
Heavy rains since Sunday have thrown normal life out of gear in large parts of Madhya Pradesh, particularly state capital Bhopal and Chhindwara district. Sausar in Chhindwara reported a heavy rainfall, causing flash floods in low-lying areas, forcing closure of traffic on the main highway linking the town to Nagpur for around an hour.
Bhopal recorded 92 mm rain since Monday night, which was 133% more than the same period last year. According to data released by the Met department on Monday, out of the 52 districts of MP, 27, including Bhopal had reported excess rain and seven districts reported normal rainfall.