Gujarat Live Update:
RAJKOT/AHMEDABAD/SURAT: Following a brutal deluge of rain that left the old town numb on Saturday, thousands of residents shook with a persistent sinking sense as Junagadh was overwhelmed by its biggest flood in the past few decades.
The Kalva River, which flows through the town, is responsible for the flash floods that terrified locals as they witnessed automobiles, two-wheelers, livestock, roadside stalls, and handcarts being washed away. The situation was made worse by Mount Girnar’s constant downpours, which sent spurts of water spilling into the village at the foothills.
Between 6 and 9 o’clock in the evening, 109 millimeters of rain were measured in Ahmedabad. According to representatives of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), it was the city’s wettest single day of the monsoon season.
Heavy waterlogging stopped traffic as numerous western city regions reported more than 100mm of rainfall. Vehicles that broke down due to flooding added to people’s problems by causing them to leave their cars on the roadways and walk to their destinations.
The Vasna barrage’s eight gates were all opened as a result of an excessive water influx.
Three individuals, including a father and son pair, perished in south Gujarat when their automobile capsized in the raging Damanganga river in the union territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli. In the city of Navsari, a 19-year-old man was also drowned by rushing waters. On Saturday, 303 mm of rain fell on Navsari.
Since Tuesday, rain has been battering Junagadh town and district, but on Thursday, the situation worsened as the majority of residential societies and highways were severely flooded. The administration is concerned that if rain continues, the situation might get worse because there were no signs of the floodwaters receding until late at night.
There was nothing the government could do to help because of the intensity. Between 1pm and 8pm, nine and a half inches of rain fell on Junagadh. The Sonrekh river, which flows through the outskirts of Junagadh, receives water from Girnar as well.
On the outskirts of the city, Sakkarbaug, Gujarat’s largest zoo, had flooding as a result of one of its walls collapsing. The facility’s night shelter has a platform inside, where numerous carnivores, including lions and tigers, have been relocated, according to Aradhana Sahu, chief conservator of forests in Junagadh.
There are currently no reports of flood-related human fatalities, according to municipal commissioner RM Tanna. The residents of one old house were saved when it collapsed. Three NDRF units as well as Rajkot and Junagadh fire department teams are working on rescue and relief efforts. “The topography of Junagadh is such that waters can’t recede even through natural drains if there is continuous heavy rainfall in upstream,” he said.
However, by night, several areas of the town had begun to see the flood waters subside. A R Ranavasiya, the Junagadh collector, pleaded with people to stay inside and ring the control room for assistance.
