3-day precipitation total from Tuesday to Friday.
(TWC Weather Team)
Tuesday, September 3: The aftermath of heavy rains has continued to wreak havoc in Gujarat. The floods, which began on August 25 due to a deep depression over Kutch, have left many areas, including Babavadi, Rameshwar Zupadpatti and Jogivas Salaya, severely waterlogged.
By August 30, Mandvi had recorded a whopping 890 mm of rain, causing flooding of Topansar Lake and Rukmavati River, further aggravating the flooding. About 1,000 houses in various communities are still submerged despite the local authorities deploying 15 drainage pumps and three electric motor pumps.
Because the water is waist-deep, residents are exposed to dangers from wild animals such as snakes.
The crisis extends beyond Kutch. Severe flooding has also been reported in Tapi, Dangs, Navsari and Bharuch districts in south Gujarat. Rescue operations are underway. The Coast Guard and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are involved in evacuating stranded people.
Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi reviewed relief efforts in Vadodara, where 20,000 people have been evacuated and 6,330 rescued. As the flood recedes, health surveillance is being carried out to prevent disease outbreaks. The government has provided Rs 1.76 crore to 64,360 affected residents, in addition to Rs 2.44 crore for domestic assistance, and extensive road repairs are underway.
A total of 3,610 km of state roads and 139 km of National Highway Authority roads have been damaged and are being repaired by around 6,487 workers.
Forecast for the next few days
Well, the well marked low pressure area Further rainfall is expected over the northwest Arabian Sea in Gujarat and neighbouring Maharashtra.
As it moves south-southwestward and gradually weakens over the next 12 hours, isolated extremely heavy rainfall is expected over the Gujarat region on 3 and 4 September. Occasional heavy rainfall is also forecast for Madhya Maharashtra from September 3 to 9, Saurashtra-Kutch from September 3 to 5, Gujarat region from September 3 to 6 and Konkan-Goa from September 5 to 9.
Accordingly, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has red warning over the Gujarat region on 3 September and a Orange alert on September 4. Saurashtra-Kutch will be under a Orange alert for both days.
The state government has now declared 132 reservoirs and ten rivers on high alert and is concentrating on repairing the damaged infrastructure.
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