Gujarat floods: Relief Commissioner urges public to follow safety guidelines, CM Patel oversees crisis response
Aug 27, 2024
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], August 27 : As heavy rains wreaked havoc in Gujarat, State Relief Commissioner Alok Pandey urged the public to follow the do's and don'ts of the district administration.
Pandey has outlined the extensive measures being taken to address the situation.
He informed that Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has personally overseen operations at the State Emergency Operation Centre, issuing directives to district collectors and corporation commissioners.
"Gujarat CM arrived at the State Emergency Operation Centre and he gave instructions to the district collectors, corporation commissioners...NDRF teams have been deployed at different locations. Army teams have also been deployed in five districts...With the assistance of the Coast Guards and Air Force, more than 300 rescue operations have been conducted. The public should follow the do's and don'ts of the district administration," Pandey said while addressing a press conference.
"The depression that developed in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh gradually came towards Gujarat and in all the districts of Gujarat, heavy rains have been going on for the last two days and due to this our rainfall data has touched 100%. We have deployed NDRF and SDRF in every district and now we have also asked the Army to be on standby," Pandey said.
"About 1700 people have been rescued so far in the entire monsoon. In the entire four months, 99 deaths have been reported," he said.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday held a meeting regarding the rain and flood situation in the state with district collectors and municipal commissioners at the State Emergency Operation Centre, in Gandhinagar.
Heavy waterlogging was witnessed across parts of Gujarat.
Due to incessant heavy rainfall, water from Ajwa Reservoir and Pratappura Reservoir were released into Vishwamitri River, leading to waterlogging.
In the Malpur area in Gujarat, incessant rainfall has been witnessed for the last three days. Locals said that it had become difficult to walk on the streets.
The Kashi Vishwanath Mahadev Temple complex in Vadodara was submerged due to heavy rainfall and the temple premises were shut on Tuesday. People said that they had never seen so much rain in the last 30 years.
According to the data of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), from 8.30 am, August 26 to 5.30 am August 27, various parts of Gujarat received a significant amount of rainfall, apart from Vadodara, Rajkot received 19 cm, Ahemdabad 12 cm, Bhuj and Naliya received 8 cm, Okha and Dwarka received 7 cm while Porbandar received 5 cm rainfall.
In a social media post on X, IMD wrote, "A significant amount of rainfall observed from 0830 hrs IST of 26.08.2024 to 0530 hrs IST of 27.08.2024 (in cm): Gujarat Region: Baroda-28, Ahemdabad-12, Surat-4; Saurashtra & Kutch: Rajkot-19, Bhuj-8, Naliya-8, Okha & Dwarka -7each, Porbandar-5."
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has conducted relief and rescue operations in Valsad, where heavy rains have caused flood-like situations.
Earlier, in a meeting Chief Minister Patel urged for the safe evacuation of people from low-lying areas. He instructed District Collectors and Municipal Commissioners that the government's first priority should be to prevent the loss of life and livestock.
"He instructed the Collectors that special vigilance should be taken to ensure that no one crosses or enters river channels or roads when rainwater is flowing dangerously. If necessary, police should be deployed to enforce this strictly," according to a press release.
He also emphasised the priority of rescuing people trapped in water and received updates on evacuation operations.
"So far, 17,827 people have been evacuated, and 1,653 people have been rescued in the state. Thirteen NDRF teams and twenty-two SDRF teams have been deployed in the affected districts, assisting in rescue and relief operations," the release stated.
