Gujarat: 3,000 Shifted After Vishwamitri River Flows Above Danger Mark

Vadodara: Nearly 3,000 people living in low-lying areas in and around Gujarat’s Vadodara city were shifted to safer places after the Vishwamitri river crossed the danger mark of 25 feet on Thursday morning, said officials.

After heavy rains battered Vadodara on Wednesday, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reviewed relief and rescue operations in the city and district through videoconferencing on Thursday, they said.

The CM was informed that Vadodara city received close to 14 inch (nearly 355 mm) of rain on Wednesday, which resulted in waterlogging in many parts of the city, said a government release.

According to Vadodara Municipal Commissioner Dilip Rana, Vishwamitri, which passes through the city, was flowing above the danger mark.

“Vishwamitri is flowing at 29 feet, nearly 4 feet above the danger mark. Since rains have stopped in the city and on the upstream since yesterday (Wednesday) night, the water level will likely recede eventually. However, as a precautionary measure, we have alerted people living near the river bank and shifted nearly 3,000 persons to safer places,” said Rana.

Meanwhile, a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued 49 people, including 15 children and as many women, stranded in knee-deep water at Vadsar village on the outskirts of Vadodara city, the agency said in a statement.

During the review meeting, the CM was also informed that one team of NDRF, one from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and 30 buses had been kept on standby to evacuate people if a need arose, said the government release.

In its fresh forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday said several parts of the state would receive heavy to very heavy rains over the next two days due to “active monsoon over Gujarat and Saurashtra-Kutch region”.

In a release, IMD said “heavy to very heavy rains” would occur mostly in the south Gujarat region and predicted “heavy rains” at isolated places in Banaskantha, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Narmada, Bharuch, Dahod, Mahisagar and Kheda districts.

South and Central Gujarat regions received moderate rains during the day.

Jhalod in Dahod districts received 65 mm of rains, while Dahod city recorded 36 mm of rainfall from 6 am to 6 pm, the state government said.