The Gujarat rainfall has resulted in the loss of at least 28 lives over the past three days. The deceased include individuals from various districts with reported fatalities in Morbi, Vadodara, Bharuch, Jamnagar, Aravalli, Panchmahal, Dwarka, Dang, Anand, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Mahisagar, Dahod and Surendranagar.
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Nearly 18,000 people have been evacuated from the most affected areas. The Gujarat government along with various disaster management teams has been working to relocate residents from flood-hit zones to safer locations.
Vadodara has been the worst-hit areas with flooding incidents reported in multiple neighborhoods after the Vishwamitri River breached its banks.
The IMD has issued a red alert for 11 districts in the Kachchh and Saurashtra regions including Kachchh, Dwarka, Jamnagar, Morbi, Surendranagar, Junagadh, Rajkot, Botad, Gir Somnath, Amreli and Bhavnagar.
A yellow alert has been issued for 22 districts across North, Central and South Gujarat. The heavy rainfall is attributed to a depression in the region which is expected to move out of Gujarat by August 30.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has monitored the situation and held a conversation with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
PM Modi assured the CM of the Centre’s full support and guidance addressing the importance of protecting lives and livestock. The Central Government has pledged to provide all necessary assistance to aid the state in managing this crisis.
Rescue operations are in full swing across Gujarat with over 6,000 people already relocated to safer places as water levels in rivers and dams continue to rise.
The Gujarat government has requested additional support from the Indian Army seeking the deployment of six Army columns, one each in Dwarka, Anand, Vadodara, Kheda, Morbi and Rajkot districts.
14 platoons from the National Disaster Response Force and 22 platoons from the State Disaster Response Force have been deployed to assist with disaster management efforts.
Rescue teams have been seen evacuating people from their homes in Vadodara, where the situation has been dire due to the breach of the Vishwamitri River. The road leading to the Statue of Unity in Vadodara has also been damaged due to the heavy rain.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has been reviewing the situation and directing state officials to prioritize relief operations in the affected districts of Vadodara, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Jamnagar.
The state government has focused on providing immediate relief in the form of food packets, drinking water and medical supplies to those trapped by the floodwaters.
Efforts are also underway to restore power supply in affected districts where it has been disrupted due to the flooding.
The IMD has warned of localized flooding of roads, waterlogging in areas and the closure of underpasses in urban regions.
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The involvement of the Indian Army and NDRF teams has been important in managing the disaster. The Army has been deployed in some of the districts, working alongside local authorities and disaster management teams to evacuate and provide aid to affected residents.
The NDRF has been active in Dwarka, where they have rescued 95 people so far. The teams continue to monitor the situation closely with more rescues expected as the rain persists.
A study conducted by the Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management (GIDM) highlighted the increasing variability in Gujarat’s monsoon rainfall over the years.
The Rainfall Variability Study Over Gujarat in 2022 observed a rise in heavy rainfall days leading to more frequent flood situations across the state.
According to another study titled Observed Rainfall Variability and Changes Over Gujarat State published by the IMD in January 2020, 19 districts in Gujarat have shown an increasing trend in overall rainfall over the past 30 years.
The IMD has reported heavy rainfall in various districts of Saurashtra including Dwarka, Jamnagar, Rajkot and Porbandar.
The depression has slowly moved across Saurashtra and Kutch and it is expected to intensify into a tropical cyclone upon reaching the Arabian Sea. This would make it the first land based tropical cyclone since 2008 and only the 15th such event since 1891.
The floods have claimed 26 lives so far with 19 people losing their lives in rain incidents in just the last three days.
The floods have also displaced nearly 17,800 people with the National Disaster Response Force and other rescue teams working to evacuate stranded residents.
Rescue operations are in full swing with NDRF, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Indian Army deploying teams across the affected areas.
In cities like Vadodara, rescue teams have been evacuating people from flooded homes and rooftops often using boats and other emergency equipment.
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