Over 12,700 evacuated in Gujarat's Valsad, hundreds rescued as rain wreaks havoc
Torrential rain triggered flood-like conditions across parts of South Gujarat on Thursday, prompting large-scale rescue and evacuation operations in Valsad, Navsari, Surat and Tapi districts
Torrential rain triggered flood-like conditions across parts of South Gujarat on Thursday, prompting large-scale rescue and evacuation operations in Valsad, Navsari, Surat and Tapi districts. More than 12,700 people were shifted to safer locations in Valsad alone, while hundreds stranded in floodwaters were rescued by emergency teams. According to the Valsad district flood control room, around 12,754 people from low-lying areas were evacuated to relief shelters, where arrangements for food, drinking water and accommodation have been made. The Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rescued 352 people stranded in floodwaters across different parts of the district. Read Full Story Heavy rainfall caused the Auranga River in Valsad and the Swargvahini River in Dharampur to overflow, inundating several low-lying areas. Authorities also released excess water after the Halar Lake in Valsad city overflowed. The downpour claimed the lives of 18 animals, while 27 kutcha houses, 11 pucca houses and one cattle shed were damaged.
Strong winds uprooted six trees, disrupting traffic before forest department teams cleared the roads. Several vehicles were also submerged after roads and residential areas were inundated. GOVERNMENT INTENSIFIES RELIEF EFFORTS The Gujarat government said relief and rescue operations were being carried out on a war footing under the supervision of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi rushed to Navsari to assess the ground situation and directed officials to ensure there was no let-up in rescue, evacuation and relief operations. To strengthen the response, the government has deputed 10 senior officers to Valsad district. For rescue operations, authorities have deployed 70 Army personnel, five boats, five NDRF teams, five SDRF teams and 25 firefighters. More than 500 people from rural areas of Umargam, Vapi, Dharampur and Pardi in Valsad district have also been shifted to safer places. In one of the major rescue operations, all 35 passengers aboard a bus stranded in floodwaters at Koparli near Nana Pondha were safely rescued.
NAVSARI, SURAT ALSO HIT Flood-like conditions were also reported from neighbouring Navsari district, where officials said an average rainfall of 4.5 inches had been recorded till 2 pm on Thursday. The Juj and Keliya dams overflowed, forcing authorities to close nearly 250 roads. Around 3,000 people were shifted to relief shelters. State Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai, who is also the minister in charge of Navsari district, reviewed the situation at the district disaster control room and directed officials to ensure proper healthcare, sanitation and coordination across departments at relief camps. In Surat, emergency services continued rescue operations round the clock. More than 50 residents were rescued from Geeta Nagar in Limbayat, Sheetla Mata Temple area in Varachha and Krishna Nagar in Udhna. Overall, 2,244 people in Surat city and 2,603 people from rural parts of the district were rescued and shifted to relief centres and other safe locations. In Tapi district, SDRF personnel rescued 11 villagers trapped by floodwaters in Dhodiyawad Faliya of Dolvan taluka following extremely heavy rainfall.
The BriefWire