Gujarat rivers overflowing; Vishwamitri river in Vadodara inches towards 20-ft mark, but civic body allays flood threat

With Ajwa Reservoir releasing 6600 cusecs of water into the Vishwamitri as well as an additional 2000 cusecs being released from Pratappura overnight, the level in the river steadily rose from 13.4 feet at Kala Ghoda to 19 feet at 3pm. Babu told The Indian Express that although the VMC has sounded an alert in the areas along the riverbank, the civic body was “not expecting a flood” in the city. Babu said, “We are clear about releasing the water to reduce the Ajwa level to 212.50 feet. Until that is achieved we intend to leave the Ajwa gates open. We will take a call accordingly once Kala Ghoda reaches about 20 feet and if needed, we will temporarily close the release to allow clearing time and then open the gates again… We are not expecting a grim situation as of now.”

Meanwhile, some parts of the city, including Subhanpura, Tarsali and residential complexes of Vadsar witnessed waterlogging. The civic body has also closed down a patch of the Koteshwar Road due to the rising water levels. Public announcements were also made for residential complexes around Koteshwar village encouraging residents to shift to safer areas.

Babu said that even though the rising water levels have created anxiety among citizens, who had witnessed severe floods in August 2024, the Vishwamitri as well as the network of natural storm water drains that were desilted and dredged as part of the pre-monsoon flood mitigation project are “open” and have “cleared more water than last year”.

Babu said, “All the rivers are flooded at the moment… It is a full moon night (on Sunday) and the water is not going to the sea at the desired speed… There is an influx of water into Vishwamitri from the outer periphery but we are trying to push the water out as much as possible. Compared to last year, the rain spell in the outer upstream is higher this time. It was around 800 mm in 2024 but this time it has been 1082 mm but the water has been drained out successfully. We have cleaned and opened the natural storm water drains… but the areas along the river bank are on alert as the Vishwamitri level is rising to carry out the released water.”

Babu, who also visited the Ajwa reservoir on Saturday afternoon, said, “The situation is not worrisome at the moment. The storm water drains are flowing to their full capacity and we are regulating the water flow. We are not expecting the kind of inflow that will cause Ajwa to spill uncontrolled.”

Narmada

The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) on Saturday closed eight of the 23 radial gates of the Sardar Sarovar Dam that were opened on Friday as the water inflow reduced into the dam from upstream in Madhya Pradesh. A total of 3.80 lakh cusec of water is currently being released through 15 open gates on the spillway and the Riverbed Powerhouse (RBPH).

The water level in the Narmada River passing through Bharuch crossed the 28 feet mark at Golden Gate while parts of Ankleshwar town also witnessed waterlogging due to the rising level in the river.

Mahisagar

The Mahisagar River has been raging through Anand, Kheda and Vadodara districts as water continues to be released from the Kadana and Panam dams. In Kheda district, the Sabarmati River is also swelling due to release from Dharoi Dam.

Kadana Dam in Mahisagar released 3.5 lakh cusecs on Saturday while Panam Dam released 78.356 cusecs of water. The Wanakbori Dam in Kheda district is also releasing about 4 lakh cusecs of water on Saturday, causing heavy flood situation in Mahisagar.

District Collector of Kheda, Amit Prakash, issued a statement on Saturday and urged the residents of villages on the banks of Mahisagar and Sabarmati to shift to safer places and avoid venturing close to the river.