Ahmedabad: Heavy rains and squally winds lash parts of Gujarat on Wednesday with Rajkot and Amreli districts facing a flood-like situation, besides claiming 34 lives due to continuous downpour.
The heavy rainfall left many parts of the city inundated. Few areas of the city are worst-affected due to water-logging.
NDRF, Indian Air Force and SRP teams have been pressed into service at Rajkot and Amreli districts to rescue stranded people as heavy rains disrupted the electricity supply in many villages. Around 1,500 people have been shifted to safer locations till now.
The Met department had earlier predicted that a "depression" has developed over the Arabian Sea, a second time in a month, which could turn into a "deep depression", bringing heavy rains in Gujarat.
According to weather experts, depression is observed in the initial stages and at the end of any cyclonic storm. However, not all depressions end up becoming a cyclonic storm and such a phenomenon affects the progress of monsoon.
Meanwhile, the weather officials have predicted that the depression will be moving North-Eastwards which will bring more rains in the region tomorrow.
"The deep depression over Saurashtra and adjoining Gujarat region persists," PTI quoted MET officials as saying.
"The deep depression will be moving North-Eastwardly and is likely to bring heavy rains in Gujarat region tomorrow after which it will weaken," Deputy director of the Ahmedabad centre of MET department Manorama Mohanty said.
Districts which have received heavy rains include -- Gir Somnath, Amreli, Rajkot and Ahmedabad.
In the South Gujarat, two casualties were reported in Surat city due to electrocution, said district collector of Surat.
"Two persons died due to electrocution in the city," said Surat district collector Rajendra Kumar.
Surat city has recorded more than 100 mm rain-fall today itself, he said.
While Amreli of Saurashtra region was one of the worst affected districts, around 60 villages of the district were cut off from rest of state due to heavy downpour.
According to disaster management control room officer, the situation worsened after waters of Shetrunji river entered surrounding village due to incessant rainfall.
Villages like Dhari (511 mm), Bagasara (636 mm) and Variyav (400 mm) have recorded heavy rain fall in Amreli district, cotroll room officer Siddiq Beldiwala said.
Meanwhile, in a swift operation, the Navy and Coast Guard helicopters today rescued 14 crew members of a vessel, which sank off the Mumbai coast.
Around 1,500 people residing at lower areas of the districts were evacuated with the help of two teams of State Reserve Police Force (SPRF) along with two teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
District authorities have been constantly providing relief materials including food-packets to all the affected people.
One state-transport bus comprising around 60 passengers was stranded in water near Gadhdada town of Amreli district, who were rescued after a four hour operation, he said.
Situation in Rajkot district was no different as it recorded more than 323 mm rainfall in last 24 hours.
At least 350 people trapped in areas with heavy water- logging were evacuated from Rajkot city itself, control room statement stated.
Gondal taluka of Rajkot district was hit by the heavy rains where around ten villages were cut off, Rajkot district collector Manisha Chandra said.
Around seven rescue teams were sent to Gondal town for the operations, while three teams of NDRF were also deployed in Gondal, she said.
As per the primary reports two persons were missing in Gondal town, control room statement said.
The road traffic was disrupted in many places in Amreli district and Rajkot district, officials said, adding that electricity supply was also curtailed.
Western Railway PRO said that due to water logging on tracks near Gondal trains on that line are affected.
Ahmedabad city is also receiving heavy rains due to the system as some parts have recorded 200 mm of rainfall in the last four hours. Rains have also brought in new waters to dams of the state, officials said.
(With Agency inputs)
