Zee Media Bureau
Ahmedabad: Over 50,000 people have been evacuated from low lying areas in Gujarat following heavy rains, that have been lashing the state for four days now.
The level of water in rivers and dams has risen sharply, forcing the authorities to go in emergency mode.
In Bharuch district, more than 16,000 people have been shifted to safer places after heavy rains.
"Around 16,000 people were shifted to safer places from Bharuch city and other parts of the district. The water level of Narmada river on Golden bridge is receding but the rain has been unrelenting," Bharuch Collector Avantika Singh said.
Surat Collector J Shivhare said that more than 15,000 people from Surat city and other parts of the district who were moved to safer places due to rise in the water level of Tapi river, were provided food packets and other basic facilities.
Shivhare said educational institutions would remain shut on Thursday as water entered low lying areas of Surat city due to heavy rains.
A fire department official said one person died due to electrocution in Ahmedabad`s Naroda area and two drowned in Bharuch district, while the body of a missing man was found in Surat district`s Mandvi taluka, authorities said.
Two people died in Gadvel village of Kheda district while their daughter was seriously injured after their house collapsed due to heavy rains, officials said, adding the girl has been admitted to the hospital.
Railway officials said 18 trains were cancelled and three trains rescheduled. One train was partially cancelled between Ahmedabad and Mumbai after waterlogging at Vadodara division. The routes of 18 other trains were diverted.
Meanwhile, rescue operations are on in Vadodara`s worst-affected ten villages of Karjan, Padra and Vadodara (rural), while people have been shifted to safer places using boats, Vadodara collector Vinod Rao said.
"Teams of NDRF, fire brigade and district administration are engaged in this operation," Rao said, adding that over 25,000 people from the 114 affected villages of Vadodara and Chhotaudepur districts were shifted to safer places after heavy rains hit the two districts.
Many areas in Vadodara city got waterlogged as water level of the Vishwamitri river hovered at 28.6 feet, two feet above danger level of 26 feet last evening.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner of Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) C M Makwana said that about 3,900 people were shifted to safer places from low-lying areas of city like Parshuram Bhatta, Sayajigunj, Sanjayanagar, Rajivnagar, Maharajanagar, Kalali, Karelibaug, Sama and other places.
He said it would take about six hours for the water level to go down at bridges across the Vishwamitri river, running through the city.
Meanwhile, in Saurashtra, moderate to heavy downpour affected normal life and hit road traffic to Mumbai badly.
Ahmedabad city also witnessed heavy rains causing waterlogging in low lying areas due to which traffic movement was affected.
Weathermen have predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in North Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch, while South Gujarat region is expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall.
Persistence of upper air cyclonic circulation over Gujarat region and its neighbourhood extending up to mid-tropospheric levels have been attributed to the current spell of heavy rainfall in the state.
(With PTI inputs)
