AHMEDABAD: Large parts of Gujarat, including Rajkot, Surat, and Gir Somnath, received heavy to very heavy rain on Wednesday, disrupting normal life. Water entered houses in many villages and flooded approach roads, rendering places inaccessible in Junagadh’s Mangrol taluka and leaving several people were trapped.
Out of Gujarat’s 206 reservoirs, 43 have been placed on high alert due to heavy inflow of water. Another 18 reservoirs are on alert mode and warnings have been issued for another 19, said the state government. Many villages in Gir Somnath district’s Sutrapada taluka became islands, and water entered several houses, destroying grains and other household items.
Monsoon rivers such as the Saraswati and Hiran are overflowing, creating floods in low-lying areas, according to officials. Flooding led many individuals to escape to their rooftops in many villages. Junagadh city and Keshod town in the district were thrown into disarray. Several roads were flooded, and vehicles were stranded in low-lying regions. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local police worked to rescue and relocate individuals in the damaged sections of the district.
According to officials, an NDRF crew rescued over 100 people from flooded villages in Gir Somnath’s Veraval taluka, which was one of the worst-affected districts due to Wednesday’s downpour. South Gujarat’s Valsad and Surat districts were also impacted by heavy rainfall. Several residential societies in the Valsad district’s Vapi town were inundated.
Schools, colleges off in Maha today
Maharashtra disaster management on Wednesday declared holiday to schools and colleges on July 20 in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts due to heavy rainfall predictions. According to the state disaster management department, there is continued rainfall from the last two days in Mumbai, Thane and Konkan regions. In Mumbai, local train services were hampered because the rail tracks were submerged.