 "26 people killed, dams overflowing & more: What’s behind the devastating Gujarat floods?")
Rain fury continues in Gujarat this week.
Heavy rains lashed the western state, triggering a flood-like situation and killing as many as 26 people in rain-related incidents.
Several rivers and reservoirs in the state are overflowing, causing inundation and waterlogging of several low-lying areas.
Here’s a look at how bad the Gujarat floods are.
Rising death toll
As Gujarat continues to be battered by heavy rainfall, 26 people have died in rain-related events in the last three days.
Reports of these deaths came from the districts of Rajkot, Anand, Mahisagar, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Morbi, Junagadh, and Bharuch, according to News18.
Seven people who went missing on Sunday when the tractor-trolley they were riding in near Dhavana village in the Halvad taluka of the Morbi district washed away while crossing an overflowing causeway are among the dead. Their bodies have since been recovered.
In multiple parts of the state on Tuesday, at least nine people lost their lives due to rain-related tragedies, including wall collapses and drownings, according to an official release.
Seven people lost their lives in similar situations across the state on Monday. Three family members died in Rajkot on Wednesday after their car was washed away by floodwaters, according to the police.
Waterlogging, overflowing dams
Due to the intense rains, the state’s infrastructure has been seriously damaged, with 24 rivers and 140 reservoirs and dams overflowing.
According to the release, 122 of the 206 dams were placed on high alert because of a significant rise in their water levels.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsVIDEO | Gujarat Rains: Crocodile spotted at roof of a house as heavy rainfall inundate Akota Stadium area of Vadodara.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 29, 2024
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvqRQz)#GujaratRains #GujaratFlood pic.twitter.com/FYQitH7eBK
Jamnagar District Collector Bahvik Pandya was quoted by the news channel, “A red alert has been issued in Jamnagar for two days, in the last 24 hours, approximately 400 mm rain was received. 25 dams are overflowing. Those who don’t have a proper house must shift to shelters organised by us, meals will be available there. NDRF and SDRF have rescued many people. Army, Air Force, NDRF and SDRF are working together.”
Many residential neighbourhoods have experienced waterlogging as a result of the river’s overflow. Residents were seen struggling to complete routine duties and wading through knee-deep water. There have also been reports of congestion from different parts of the city.
The persistent rainfall prompted the authorities to release water into the Vishwamitri River from the Ajwa and Pratappura reservoirs, increasing the level of waterlogging. Low-lying residents told ANI that since Monday, water has been entering their homes.
At Rajkot International Airport, a runway side wall collapsed, according to The Indian Express. This comes months after the airport canopy partially collapsed in June due to excessive rain.
There are growing numbers of crocodile encounters in Vadodara that threaten human life as they emerge and venture into different human areas.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. According to the Free Press Journal, the overflowing Vishwamitri River has allowed groups of crocodiles to invade numerous areas of the city.
#WATCH | Vadodara, Gujarat: Forest Department rescues the crocodile seen on the campus of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda pic.twitter.com/joBQjJfAHW
— ANI (@ANI) August 29, 2024
Disrupted train and electricity services
Numerous trains have been cancelled or redirected due to waterlogging.
Six trains were short-terminated, 14 were partially cancelled, and up to 48 trains were cancelled.
The Ahmedabad division of the Western Railway reported that 23 more trains were diverted.
As of Tuesday, 636 roads — including 34 state highways — and 1,018 villages were without power. There are up to 419 villages in the Saurashtra and Kutch regions without access to electricity, according to The Indian Express.
Out of these, 196 are in the district of Jamnagar; 51 are in Surendranagar; 44 are in Porbandar; 41 are in Rajkot; 39 are in Kutch; 32 are in Rajkot; nine are in Amreli; six are in Junagadh; and one is in Bhavnagar.
Ongoing rescue operations
Officials added that people who were left stranded in Vadodara city’s homes and rooftops were rescued and taken to safer locations.
Along with the NDRF and SDRF, the Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard have also been active in the ongoing rescue and relief efforts.
Six columns of the Indian Army are conducting rescue operations in the most affected districts in response to a request from the Gujarat State Government to give prompt Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), according to News18 which cited Indian Army sources.
As per Moneycontrol, officials say about 17,800 people have been evacuated from flood-affected areas as a result of Wednesday’s severe rains, which hit certain sections of the state for the fourth straight day.
Even though the rains stopped in Vadodara, the city still had to deal with flooding in a number of low-lying regions as the Vishwamitri River breached its banks and flooded residential neighbourhoods, submerging houses, roads, and cars.
In Vadodara alone, more than 5,000 people have been evacuated, and more rescue teams and supplies are being sent to the impacted districts.
Chief Minister Patel instructed officials to use disinfectants and cleaning supplies throughout the city as soon as the floodwaters begin to recede.
He gave the order to send teams to Vadodara from the municipalities of Bharuch, Anand, and Ahmedabad as well as the municipal corporations of Surat and Ahmedabad.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi contacted Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to assess the situation and has assured the Centre’s full support in managing the disaster, according to Mint.
More rain on the card
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that all districts in the Saurashtra and Kutch areas would experience severe rainfall, with red and yellow alerts issued over the next few days. The weather agency anticipated extremely heavy rains in isolated parts of Saurashtra on Thursday.
Gujarat has already received 105 per cent of its yearly average rainfall due to the current monsoon season.
Throughout a 12-hour period on Wednesday, regions of Saurashtra like Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Rajkot, and Porbandar saw between 50 and 200 millimetres of rain. With 185 millimetres of rain, Bhanvad Taluka in Devbhumi Dwarka had the most rainfall.
During this time, the Devbhumi Dwarka district’s Khambhalia taluka received 454 millimetres of rain, while Jamnagar city received 387 millimetres and Jamjodhpur taluka received 329 millimetres.
During the period, rainfall in up to 13 of the 251 talukas in the state exceeded 200 mm, while 39 additional talukas received more than 100 mm of rain.
The reason behind heavy rains
An intense land-based deep depression is currently causing floods in Gujarat.
According to Down To Earth, the depression was made worse by moisture inflow from nearby soils, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal.
Deep depressions are cyclonic systems that typically form over the sea as a precursor to tropical cyclones, with wind speeds ranging from 51 to 62 kilometres per hour. On land, it rarely forms and intensifies, though. Its wind speed is 62-88 kilometres per hour, one notch below that of a tropical cyclone.
IMD data indicates that on August 16, a low-pressure area formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal, which gave rise to the current system. It moved into Bangladesh from the north at first, and then into West Bengal from the west.
By August 23, it had approached northeast Jharkhand and quickly advanced to northeast Madhya Pradesh and southeast Uttar Pradesh before strengthening into a distinct low-pressure area on land. Early on August 25, the system intensified further, resulting in a depression with wind speeds of 31–50 kilometres per hour over the normally dry regions of east Rajasthan and northwest Madhya Pradesh. By August 26, the system had become a deep depression over east Rajasthan and west Madhya Pradesh, bringing with it heavy rainfall and scattered flooding in numerous areas.
According to IMD, as of August 27’s evening, the deep depression was located over north Gujarat, about 100 kilometres northeast of Kandla.
IMD Scientist Ramashray Yadav said, “The deep depression lies 50 kilometres away from Bhuj, 100 kilometres away from Naliya. It is moving at the speed of 12 kilometres per hour. It is 100 kilometres away from Naliya. It is moving in the west-southward district. On August 29 morning, it is expected to northeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Saurashtra and Kutch. In view of this system, Saurashtra and Kutch are likely to receive extremely heavy to exceptionally heavy rainfall.”
“This is expected to cover all districts of Saurashtra and Kutch regions. A red alert has been issued. Tomorrow too, all districts of Saurashtra and Kutch regions are covered and an extremely heavy rainfall warning and Red Alert have been issued. The day after tomorrow, a heavy rainfall warning has been issued for all districts of Saurashtra and Kutch regions. On Day 4, Saurashtra and Kutch regions are expected to receive heavy rainfall; a yellow alert has been issued,” he added.
With inputs from agencies
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