2,639 persons rescued across state, Surat city records 242 mm of rain in eight hours as downpour disrupts life for second day

The downpour prompted mid-session closures of schools, cancellation of over 200 city bus trips and diversion of routes for others in Surat city.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), Surat city was inundated with extremely heavy rainfall of 242 mm or 9.5 inch recorded within eight hours, of which 135 mm was received in barely two hours, from 8 till 10 am, on Monday.

“No casualty was reported from Surat city. At least 112 persons, including children were rescued and relocated from waterlogged areas including schools, tuition classes and stuck vehicles,” Surat Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agarwal told The Indian Express.
“In one of the rare incidents, Surat city recorded almost 10 inch rainfall within 10 hours. Earlier, the city had received a maximum of 7 inch rainfall in 24 hours,” Agarwal said.

On Monday, eight children were rescued from a tuition class in the Rander area, said officials while providing details of the rescues.

Officials said 18 persons, including 16 staff members of a private hospital and two patients were also rescued from the Rander area.

At least 18 persons stuck in a bank in Varachha and six people stuck in a car in Athwa were relocated when the causeway in Rander was flooded, said officials.

In a separate incident, two students who had gone to take their Board exams and were stuck on the Ved Road near Akhand Anand College, were also rescued, said officials.

Four students stuck in a car near Sarthana fire station were also relocated to safer areas.

A student stuck in P M Bhagat School in Katargam was rescued by the Fire Department.

Among the badly-affected talukas of Surat district were Kamrej (187 mm), Palsana (160 mm), Bardoli (122 mm), Olpad (107 mm), Chorasi (90 mm), Mangrol (80 mm) and Mandvi (77 mm).
On Sunday, the city had received 7.22 inches (183mm) of rain. At least 1,000 schools in Surat city were shut, said sources.

In the Varachha area, officials from the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) fire department rescued 28 students from a school run by the Unnati Charitable Trust after the premises were surrounded by floodwater. The students were shifted to safer locations.

Even as several areas remained inundated on Monday, many colleges and schools were closed by the authorities. At a few schools, the authorities had to inform parents to pick up their wards from the premises with the buildings under deluge. Parents could be seen walking in knee-level deep water to take their children back.

According to a statement from the Surat district Education Department, owing to the downpour on Monday, District Collector Dr Sourabh Pardhi “instructed the schools to give students a holiday in the morning and afternoon session”.

“The school authorities should ensure that students reach home safely,” said the Education Department statement.

Despite the disruptions, the Board exams for students reappearing for Class 10 and 12 were conducted at regular timings in Surat city on Monday.

The SMC also undertook water de-pumping operations in low-lying and waterlogged areas, including Kaskiwad in Bhagal (Central Zone), Dhanmora Complex in Adajan (Rander Zone), Hodi Bungalow (Central Zone), Gotalwadi (Katargam Zone), and Prime Arcade (Rander Zone). Traffic resumed after water levels subsided.

Due to continuous rain and rising inflow from upper catchment areas into the Tapi river, the weir-cum-causeway was closed to commuters on Monday afternoon.

SMC Commissioner Shalini Agrawal monitored the situation from the ICCC (Integrated Command and Control Centre), reviewing CCTV footage and issuing instructions to civic officials for road clearance and traffic management.

The Surat division of Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) cancelled over 200 city bus trips, and buses from other districts were diverted to avoid waterlogged routes, said sources. GSRTC officials said buses entering Surat were instructed to halt at the Surat Central Bus Depot or reroute as necessary.

Two district panchayat roads in Mandvi taluka were also closed off to the public after they got submerged, officials said.

135 talukas received rainfall

According to the SEOC, out of 251 talukas in Gujarat, 135 received rainfall till Monday 6 pm. Other districts hit by rain included Navsari, Chhota Udepur, Tapi, Morbi, Kheda, Panchmahal and Bharuch. Dolvan in Tapi and Borsad in Anand also received heavy rainfall of 109 mm and 92 mm, respectively, according to the SEOC.

Further, the state government data revealed that a total of 2,639 persons were rescued in Gujarat. At least 128 persons were rescued from Bhavnagar, 69 from Amreli, 24 from Botad, 7 from Gandhinagar and one from Dahod, according to the data.

Persons shifted to safer locations included 2,308 from Bhavnagar, 134 from Surendranagar, 117 from Botad and 80 from Amreli, according to the data.

As per the IMD forecast, a light thunderstorm with lightning and surface wind 30-40 kmph accompanied by light to moderate rain is very likely expected across the state till June 27.

On June 24 and 25, heavy rainfall is expected to hit the districts of Gandhinagar, Aravalli, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Anand, Panchmahal, Dahod, Mahisagar, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Bharuch, Surat, Dang, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi along with districts of Saurashtra namely Rajkot, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir Somnath and Botad, according to the forecast.