Gujarat: Valsad, Navsari reel from monsoon fury

SURAT/AHMEDABAD: Over 700 people were shifted to safer places in Navsari and Valsad districts after continuous rain in south Gujarat led to water level in river swelling, inundating low-lying areas, on Sunday.
Several low-lying areas of Valsad were flooded after the water level in Orsang River sharply increased due to extremely heavy rain on Saturday night and Sunday morning. More than 400 people were evacuated in these areas. Rain water and that from the overflowing river gushed into several residential societies which were in knee-deep waters.
Authorities in Navsari district were also on an alert as the Kaveri and Ambika rivers started flowing above the danger mark.
“We are shifting people from low-lying areas and over 300 have been evacuated to safer places. The operation is continuing with the help of a company of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF),” district collector Amit Prakash Yadav said.
Chhota Udepur and Narmada districts also recorded heavy rainfall, with rivers overflowing and low-lying areas getting flooded.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy showers during the next five days in Dang, Navsari and Valsad.
Several other districts of south Gujarat and Saurashtra are also expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall during this period, the IMD bulletin said.
Several dams and rivers in south and central Gujarat and Saurashtra region have received heavy rains since Saturday. Many of the rivers are flowing near the danger mark, keeping the respective administrations on alert.
Dharampur taluka in Valsad district and Vansda in Navsari received 216mm and 213 mm rainfall, respectively, in the 24 hour period till 6 am on Sunday, as per the data shared by the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
In Navsari, Chikhli and Khergam talukas received 197 mm and 194 mm downpour respectively, Kaprada in Valsad recorded 194 mm showers during the same period.
As per the data, Ahwa, Waghai and Subir in Dang district got 180 mm, 160 mm and 141 mm rainfall respectively, Umarpada in Surat recorded 179 mm and Vyara in Tapi district got 106 mm rain.
Meanwhile, normal life was paralyzed in the tribal district of Chhota Udepur and Panchmahal districts on Sunday with Bodeli being lashed by 400mm and Pavi Jetpur 250mm rainfall within just about eight hours.
A team of NDRF began evacuating and rescuing people in Bodeli town while efforts were on to reach out to remote areas, many of which have been cut off due to flooded roads.
Jambughoda taluka in Panchmahal district too, leaving the low-lying areas water-logged. The region got 325mm rainfall.