Several districts in central and south Gujarat received heavy rainfall on Friday with over 1,500 persons evacuated to safer places in Surat which is the worst-affected, officials said.
A red alert indicating extremely heavy rainfall has been declared in 13 districts while an orange alert indicating heavy rainfall has been declared in 7 districts following the latest forecast of the India Meteorological Department, they said.
“Significant rainfall has been recorded in Narmada, Anand, Kheda, Chhota Udepur, Vadodara and Surat among other districts and the situation is being continuously monitored," state Relief Commissioner Gaurang Makwana said in a statement.
Many talukas in Surat, Kheda, Anand, Bharuch and Narmada received over 150 mm of rainfall in 8 hours between 6 am and 2 pm on Friday, according to State Emergency Operation Centre data.
Surat is the worst-hit district, with Umarpada taluka recording 247 mm of rainfall during this period.
"Amid a red alert on Friday, around 1,500 residents have been relocated from low-lying areas to safer locations. Teams from the NDRF, SDRF, and the Indian Army are on standby to undertake rescue operations," said Surat Municipal Commissioner M Nagarajan.
"Schools and other educational institutions will remain closed on Friday and Saturday as a precautionary measure," he added.
Waterlogging was reported in 59 spots across Surat city, said an official release.
Nadiad in Kheda district received 191 mm of rainfall in 8 hours till 2 pm on Friday, leading to waterlogging in several low-lying areas of the city and rural areas. The district's Vaso area received 177 mm of rainfall.
People were seen walking in knee-deep water in Nadiad.
Borsad in Anand district received 170 mm of rainfall between 6 am and 2 pm, followed by Khambhat which received 165 mm of rainfall.
Netrang in Bharuch district received 155 mm of rainfall while Petlad in Anand district and Sagbara in Narmada district received 152 mm of rainfall in eight hours.
Tapi district's Dolvan received 149 mm of rainfall during this period, followed by Surat's Ambika (146 mm), Narmada's Garudeshwar (144 mm), Surat's Areth (138 mm) and Dang's Subir (137 mm).
Several areas in Ahmedabad also received spells of rain amid a red alert from Friday afternoon.
Relief Commissioner Makwana said 17 NDRF teams and 33 SDRF teams have been deployed in rain-affected areas across Gujarat.
In Vadodara district, three NDRF teams are on standby.
Additionally, a database of available rescue boats and their operators in the district have been prepared to facilitate immediate rescue operations whenever required.
A red alert has been issued for Friday for Narmada, Surat, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Bharuch, Surat, Tapi, Dang, Navsari, Valsad, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Bhavnagar and Botad districts, as per the IMD's midday forecast.
"On August 1, heavy to very heavy rains at a few places with isolated extremely heavy falls very likely in the districts of Gujarat region namely Ahmedabad and Anand; in the districts of Saurashtra namely Surendranagar, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Botad," the forecast noted.
Administration of Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Anand, Narmada, Tapi, Dang, Chhota Udepur, Panchmahal, Dahod and Mahisagar have been placed on high alert, officials said.
A holiday has been declared on Friday for all educational institutions in several districts including Ahmedabad, Surat, Panchmahal, Anand, Bharuch, Navsari, Jamnagar, Kheda and Vadodara.
