Flood-like situation in several parts of Gujarat after heavy rains

SURAT/VADODARA/AHMEDABAD: Sixty-four people have died in rain-related incidents since the onset of monsoon in the state on June 1 even as hundreds of villages and urban areas in districts of south and central Gujarat remained submerged after three continuous days of downpours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up chief minister Bhupendra Patel who apprised him about the situation. The PM assured him of all possible help from the central government.
As downpours eased slightly on Monday, scenes of devastation started surfacing in urban and rural areas of worst-hit Valsad and Chhota Udepur districts. The ferociously flowing rivers flooded houses, shops and killed a large number of livestock, dealing a telling blow to thousands of people who helplessly watched their valuables and belongings getting destroyed.
State revenue minister Rajendra Trivedi said 56 deaths were reported between June 1 and July 9 while rains claimed eight lives in the past 24 hours ending Monday morning. Majority of the fatalities (33) were due to lightning strikes. Sixteen drowned, eight died in wall collapse, six due to tree fall and one in falling of an electricity pole. More than 6,000 people have been rescued in the worst-hit Chhota Udepur, Valsad, Narmada, Surat and Tapi districts where National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were engaged in hectic efforts. Thirteen NDRF and 16 SDRF have been mobilized for rescue.
In Valsad district, 16 people from a village had to be air-lifted as they were stranded on their rooftop due to flooding in the Auranga river.
Around 388 roads, including state highways and village roads, were closed as they were washed away. Thirteen dams have been put on 'high alert' and eight on 'alert' as their water level swelled due to the heavy showers.
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At 128mm, it rained big cats and top dogs in city | page 2
Ahmedabad: It could well be the highest one-day rainfall for Ahmedabad in the month of July in five years. The city recorded 128mm of rainfall till 11pm on Sunday. Several low-lying areas witnessed heavy waterlogging and ground floors of many societies and bungalows were left inundated.
According to Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) data, Paldi recorded 302mm rainfall till 11 pm, followed by 205mm in Usmanpura, 206mm in Maktampura, 203mm in Bodakdev, 203mm in Jodhpur, 185mm in Bopal, 164mm in Maninagar, and 133mm in Ranip.
The city recorded about 15% of the season's rainfall of 782mm in just one evening.
Heavy rainfall continued in many parts of the city till late in the night as shopkeepers with stores in the basements were seen pumping out water. In Jivraj Park, citizens complained of 1-2 inches of water inside their homes. Prathmesh Patel, a resident of Jodhpur, said that he had not seen such intense rainfall in a long time. "Sunday's deluge was unexpected. We were out and struggled to get back home," he said.
Naresh Sharma, a resident of Ramdevnagar, said that it took him about two hours from Vishala to reach home. "Following heavy waterlogging on the roads, commuters were left stranded in many areas. Many of them abandoned their vehicles to take shelter following heavy rain and winds," he said.
Between 7.30pm and 10.30pm, AMC attended to 625 complaints, mainly related to waterlogging and incidents of trees uprooting. Calls pertaining to "road settlements" were received from Gala Gymkhana Road, Rajamani Society in Jodhpur and Navneet building in Ghuma area. "We have been receiving complaints about cave-ins and road settlements, but will need some more time to collate data," said an officer at the AMC's control room in Paldi.
In Bodakdev ward, the residents reported waterlogging at Ratrani Society near Ramdevnagar crossroads. In South Bopal, residents reported waterlogging near Safar Parisar 1. In Jodhpur, the roads were waterlogged for nearly two hours near Mayurpankh Society.