Tuesday saw the submersion of some areas of Vadodara when the Vishwamitri river, which runs through the city, surpassed its danger level due to
constant downpour and dam water flow. According to the district government, around 8,361 people from low-lying regions in and around Vadodara were relocated to shelters.
On the other hand, after three days, the rain stopped around Tuesday midday in Surat and South Gujarat; nonetheless, there were reports of power outages and interruptions to mobile networks from the areas affected by flooding. The officials started removing the debris that the floodwater left behind and conducted door-to-door surveys to check for illnesses.
There is no electricity or water supply in the flooded colonies due to severe water-logging. Superintendent Engineer DV Patel of Madhya Gujarat Vij Corporation ltd (MGVCL) informed The Indian Express that 20 feeders were shut down because of the flood, which has affected about 10 lakh customers. We’ve been receiving calls from several communities whose basements have flooded asking us to turn off the meters. When the water recedes, the feeders will be installed again, according to Patel. The central Gujarat power distribution company (MGVCL), which is owned by the state government, has issued a warning about additional rises in the city’s water levels.
The collector further mentioned that someone who went fishing in a brook in Gandevi taluka’s Salej hamlet had vanished. Agre stated, “While efforts are made to locate him, his body has not yet been found.”
According to sources in the Panchayat health department of Valsad district, thirteen teams have been sent out to conduct surveillance in the districts affected by flooding. The ailing patients were also attended to by the medical teams. In order to inspect the power supply lines, teams from the Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited (DGVCL) were also alert, and in certain places the electricity has been restored.
By Tuesday night, the Vishwamitri River in Vadodara had reached its highest point at 35.25 feet. The river’s danger mark is 25 feet below the surface. Vadodara collector Bijal Shah told PTI earlier in the day, “As a precautionary measure, the local administration has shifted more than 3,000 people from low-lying areas to safer places.” Late on Tuesday, the river in many places broke 40 feet as it continued to swell. In order to lessen the water-logging, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) made the decision to seal the gates of the Ajwa and Pratappura reservoirs. “We have decided to close the gates of Ajwa at 213.65 feet and Pratappura at 230.20 feet because the rainfall has decreased in the catchment areas and it is necessary to provide essential services to people as well as carry out rescue operations,” said Dr. Sheetal Mistry, chairman of the VMC Standing Committee.
According to district authorities, around 1,500 people have been relocated over the past three days to different shelter shelters and in some cases, to the homes of their relatives in Navsari.
“We are concentrating on public health and cleaning activities now that the water level in the three rivers has receded,” Navsari district collector Kshipra Agre stated. Teams from Surat Municipal Corporation have arrived in Navsari, and cleaning operations have started with local teams as well. People are starting to go back to their houses. Since there hasn’t been any significant rainfall today, everything is under control.
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As long as the rain doesn’t come back, VMC Commissioner Dilip Rana informed the media that the decision is a “calculated risk.” The elected officials and office holders made this choice unanimously. If the rain doesn’t come back, we should be able to lower the waterlogging by roughly four feet. But if the rains come again, we might have to open the gates again,” Rana stated.
According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), Vadodara city saw 307 mm of rain on Monday between the hours of 6 and 12 am, which caused waterlogging in numerous areas. Even when the rain ceased in the early morning, many were forced to stay inside because knee-deep water was still covering several major roadways and areas of Vadodara city. The ground floors of numerous residences in the Harni and Sama neighborhoods were inundated with flood water, leaving several residential societies trapped. Residents who were stuck in Vadsar, Harni, Vishwamitri, and other regions were rescued by the fire service using boats. The Vishwamitri water is discharged through the Ajwa dam reservoir, which is at 214 feet and continues to discharge water. As a result, the VMC has issued a warning of a potential increase in water-logging.
