Cars, livestock swept away by flash flood in Gujarat’s Junagadh

“We have rescued some 200 to 300 people from low-lying areas though flooding is there in all parts of the city due to torrential rains which swelled Kalvo and Sonrakh rivers. The flooding is more in posh Raijibaug area as Kalvo’s floodwaters have spread into those areas,” Ramesh Tanna, municipal commissioner of Bhavnagar, told The Indian Express.

Flash floods in #junagadh, #gujarat wash away cattle, vehicles and damage houses#IMD has issued a red alert.#rain #rainfall #gujaratrains #flood #flashflood #cloudburst pic.twitter.com/4q5Rwt0OW8

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) July 22, 2023

A purported video from Rajlakshmi Park in Junagadh showed a man struggling for his life and trying to cling to a floating car while another video showed a herd of buffaloes being swept away by floodwaters in Motibaug Area. In the Dolatpara area on the northern outskirts of Junagadh, people were stranded on the Junagadh-Rajkot highway as flash floods inundated a large stretch of the highway.

Junagadh Collector Anil Ranavasiya and Junagadh District Superintendent of Police Ravi Teja Vasamsetty made fervent appeals to people to stay indoors, saying most parts of the city were flooded. “It has been raining torrentially since this morning in Junagadh City and Junagadh (rural) district, leading to flooding in most of the area and societies. I request you earnestly to not step out of your homes unless unavoidable and cooperate with us. If you are in distress, contact our control room,” said Ranavasiya in a video message.

Torrents of floodwaters gushing through Junagadh City made roads look like swollen streams, sweeping with them cars, bikes and livestock. (Express photo by Chirag Chotaliya)

The trouble began in the afternoon as floodwaters of rivers originating from hills of the Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary shadowing Junagadh City started swelling after heavy rains which started at around 10 am. Between 10 am and 2 pm, the city logged around 3.5 inches of rain. However, rain intensity picked up dramatically after that and the city and its surrounding areas were lashed by more than five inches of rain between 2 pm and 4 pm.

“There is a gradient from Mount Girnar to Junagadh and rivers and streams originating from Girnar pass through Junagadh City. The rains on Mount Girnar as well as in the city have created problems,” Municipal Commissioner Tanna said, adding that no reports of any human casualty were available till evening.

As the flood situation turned grim, CM Bhupendra Patel, who was in Rajkot to attend a series of events and to review preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Rajkot Friday, cancelled his events in Rajkot for the day.

People being rescued from low-lying areas. (Express photo by Chirag Chotaliya)

“The honourable CM wanted to fly to Junagadh to take stock of the situation and lead the government’s response to the flood. However, as the weather is bad there, he was advised against flying to Junagadh as his helicopter may not be able to land there. The highway leading to the city is also flooded. Therefore, he is presently in Rajkot even as other options of reaching Junagadh are being explored,” a top government officer told The Indian Express around 6 pm.

As the CM could not reach Junagadh, he reviewed the situation by seeking updates from officers of Junagadh district administration while in Rajkot, an official release said.

The flash flood in Junagadh City comes less than 24 hours after Patel flew to Junagadh Friday afternoon, and made an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in Keshod, Manavadar and Vanthali talukas of Junagadh in the western parts of the district as well as parts of neighbouring Gir Somnath districts.

Junagadh was pounded by nine inches of rain between 10 am and 4 pm Saturday. (Express photo by Chirag Chotaliya)

The famous Sakkarbaug Zoo, among the oldest zoos of the country, also faced the fury of the floods but no untoward incident involving captive animals there was reported, said officers. “Some low-lying areas of the park are flooded as the park is located right on the bank of Sonrakh river. Some stretches of the park’s perimeter wall and fencing have collapsed. However, no untoward incident involving animals in the park has been reported. As a precautionary measure, we have shifted carnivores in their enclosures,” Aradhna Sahu, chief conservator of forests of Junagadh wildlife circle, said.

Fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea for the next five days till July 26, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has also issued a “high wave warning” for a part of the Gujarat coast stretching from Jakhau in Kutch to Diu near the Saurashtra region. “High waves in the range of 3.5-4 meters are forecasted from 5:30 pm on July 21 to 11.30 pm of July 23 along the coast from Jakhau to Diu head of Gujarat coast. (Sea) current speeds vary between 61-123 cubic meter per second,” the forecast stated.