Gujarat: 400 mm rain in 36 hours paralyses Surat; more in store for state

Surat, Jun 24 (PTI) Surat in Gujarat received a whopping over 400 mm rainfall in 36 hours, which created a flood-like situation in several parts of the city on Tuesday as several roads got submerged and residential societies were inundated, throwing normal life out of gear, officials said.

The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that people in some areas arranged for tractors to ferry them from one place to another, while in some other parts of the city, boats were seen operating on flooded roads to help residents cross over to safer areas.

The administration is bracing for more showers as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with isolated extremely heavy rains in Surat and some other districts in the state on Wednesday.

Surat city received 346 mm (or more than 13 inches) rainfall in 24 hours ending 6 am on Tuesday, while another 66 mm (nearly 2.6 inches) rainfall was registered in the subsequent 12 hours (ending 6 pm), Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agarwal said.

While the city received some respite from the rain on Tuesday, flooding in low-lying areas continued to affect commuters.

Wherever required, people are being evacuated in advance as part of the rescue and relief work being carried wherever necessary, Agarwal said.

As per the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), Surat city received 2.6 inches of rains from 6 am on Tuesday.

While rains abated during the day, there was a little respite from waterlogging caused by it with commuters in many localities forced to stay indoors.

Heavy rains caused the Tapi river, which passes through the city and various creeks, to swell, resulting in waterlogging in low-lying residential areas. Some villages were completely submerged in rain water, creating a flood-like situation.

As a result of heavy rains, water entered some market areas. Several families in flooded residential societies were forced to spend sleepless nights as many houses in low-lying areas got submerged.

Traffic came to a complete standstill due to flooding of roads in many parts of the city, forcing people to wade through knee-deep water to work. People in some areas arranged for tractors to take them from one place to another. In some other areas, boats were seen plying on flooded roads, helping people cross over to safer areas.

"Teams of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) have been working in the field since late night, clearing waterlogging on roads and underpasses to restore the traffic situation on a mission mode. Cleanliness and medical surveillance are being carried out across the city," Agarwal said.

Various departments, such as water supply, roads and buildings and electricity were working in coordination with police and traffic departments to ensure that normal life is not disrupted due to heavy rains, she said.

People have been advised against venturing near the Tapi river or creek areas for safety reasons, she said.

As part of precautionary measures, the local authorities closed several roads on Tuesday morning, causing hardship to local commuters.

Apart from Surat, several districts in south Gujarat received heavy rains, with Nandod and Tilakwada talukas of Narmada district receiving up to 8 inches (200 mm) rains in 10 hours since 6 am on Tuesday.

Parts of Dahod, Valsad , Chhota Udepur and Tapi also received up to 5 inches (125 mm) rains during this period.

According to the IMD, monsoon remained active in Gujarat with extremely heavy rainfall occurring at isolated places in Surat district, and heavy to very heavy rainfall occurring in many other districts such as in Anand, Narmada, Tapi, Panchmahal, Navsari, Bharuch and Valsad.

The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rains at a few places with isolated extremely heavy falls in Dahod, Mahisagar, Vadodara, Narmada, Bharuch, Surat, Navsari, and Valsad districts on Wednesday.

Heavy to very heavy rains are forecast in parts of Gujarat during the next one week. PTI