Gujarat: At 399 mm in 8 hours, Surat’s Umarpada gets record rain; red alert for today

The water level in Ukai dam at 7.00 pm on Monday was recorded to 310.37 feet, while the inflow of water into the dam was 21,004 cusecs and outflow 600 cusecs. The inflow of rainwater in Ukai Dam’s upper basin, Prakasha dam, at 6.00 pm was recorded at 17,375 cusecs and Hathnur dam (4,308 cusecs).

On Monday morning, the Surat district administration had closed 16 connecting roads to the village — 10 in Umarpada and six in Mandvi — after water overflowed along the seven causeways; traffic was halted. The top tourist destination in Umarpada — Devghat waterfalls — has also been closed by the authorities.

In Umarpada taluka, which borders Surat and Tapi districts, the Surat district flood control department has also urged the residents — most of them being farmers — to stay home till the alert is withdrawn. The district administration has also sent a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team to Umarpada on Monday, while a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team is ready for deployment in Surat to deal with any untoward situation.

Vijay Rabari, residential additional collector of Surat district, said: “There was a cloudburst-like situation early Monday, which happened in Umarpada after a couple of years. The situation is under control, and no evacuation operations were undertaken… We have sounded alert to 17 villages on the borders of both the overflowing rivers… No damages have been reported so far.”

BJP MLA from Surat Mangrol Ganpat Vasava, meanwhile, said: “In Umarpada taluka (my constituency), I have been in touch with the party leaders and administrative officials since the morning… We have stocked up on essential items, so that they can be delivered during an emergency… The rain stopped in the afternoon, a relief from the waterlogging. People have also received relief in the afternoon.”

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) in Gandhinagar, districts of Surat, Bharuch and Narmada received heavy rainfall between 6 am and 12 noon on Monday; Netrang in Bharuch recorded 188 mm rainfall, with Narmada district’s Garudeshwar (145 mm), Nandod (130 mm) and Tilakwada (89 mm) in the ‘heavy rain’ category.

Other neighbouring talukas on Monday received moderate rainfall — 32 mm in Mangrol, Mandvi (8 mm), Songadh (49 mm), Nizar (11 mm), and Vyara and Uchhal (10 mm each) — during this period.

On Monday, in 124 out of the total 251 talukas in the state, Panchmahal’s Godhra received 74 mm rainfall, Vadodara’s Sinor (65 mm), Anand’s Anand (63 mm) and Tarapur (56 mm), Sabarkantha’s Himmatnagar (52 mm) and Vadodara’s Karjan (45 mm) — until 4 pm.

Parts of Ahmedabad, too, on Monday received heavy rainfall including 64 mm in Memco, Odhav (46 mm), Dudheshwar (46 mm), Naroda (45 mm), Maninagar (45 mm), Kotarpur (43 mm), Chandkheda (42 mm), Chakudiya (38 mm), Nikol (36 mm), Ranip (35 mm), Usmanpura (35 mm) and Danapith (34 mm) and Viratnagar (31.5 mm). The Ahmedabad city received an average of 31.87 mm rainfall until 4 pm.

According to the SEOC, the state has so far received 29 per cent average rainfall of this monsoon season — as on July 15.

Further, an ‘orange’ alert has been issued for some districts in Saurashtra including Surendranagar, Botad, Bhavnagar, Amreli along with central parts including Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Panchmahal, Dahod, Mahisagar and Aravalli as well as Sabarkantha in the north until Tuesday morning.

For Tuesday, a ‘red’ alert — very heavy rainfall with extremely isolated heavy showers — has been issued in districts of Chhota Udepur, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar and Gir Somnath; an ‘orange’ alert of heavy to very heavy rainfall has also been alerted for districts of Vadodara, Narmada, Bharuch Dangs and Tapi as well as for the districts of Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Botad in Saurashtra.

Among the regions, Saurashtra has so far received the highest rainfall at 37.66 per cent, followed by South Gujarat (35.29 per cent) and Kutch (34.91 per cent); north Gujarat saw the lowest at 18.88 per cent this season.

Several talukas, meanwhile, did not record a drop of rainfall, said the weather department.

The state, meanwhile, is expected to receive rainfall until July 20 due to two cyclonic circulations over Gujarat, along with a western disturbance and an offshore trough, said the weather department.

Shah makes phone call to Gujarat CM, assures Central aid

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday spoke to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and took stock of the flood situation in the state. He also assured the CM of providing Central government’s assistance as well as support of the NDRF to combat the crisis.

Shah reached out to the CM in a telephonic conversation, to assess the flood situation as well as the surge in water level due to heavy rainfall.

Due to heavy rainfall in Valsad district, many low-lying areas have been inundated, and the national highway was also flooded; teams from disaster cells were deployed to drain the water from these areas. Additionally, heavy rainfall caused the water level in Madhuban Dam to rise.

-With PTI inputs

Curated For You

India vs South Africa 5th T20I, Highlights: IND beat SA by 30 runs, win series 3-1

Gujarat Draft Voter List 2025: How to Check Your Name Online, objections Open Till January 18

Tamil Nadu Draft Voter List 2025: Step-by-step guide to check your name online, file objections till January 18