AHMEDABAD: Gujarat has launched a massive restoration and relief exercise after an unprecedented spell of torrential rain battered large parts of the state.Authorities are now preparing for another round of extremely heavy rainfall expected over the next three days.The roads and buildings department said it had restored connectivity on nearly 94% of the roads damaged or closed due to flooding, while the state government announced financial assistance for flood-hit traders, transporters and farmers.Meanwhile, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) urged residents to work from home on Friday and Saturday after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for the city.
Road connectivity restored across Gujarat
Heavy rainfall between July 23 and 27 triggered widespread flooding, waterlogging and infrastructure damage across Gujarat, forcing the closure of 1,540 roads.According to the chief minister’s office, restoration teams worked round the clock to reopen 1,451 roads, restoring nearly 94 per cent of the affected network within days, news agency ANI reported.South Gujarat was the worst-hit region, accounting for 1,251 road closures. Of these, 1,236 roads have already been reopened, with traffic restored on 1,187 roads within 24 to 48 hours.The restoration drive was carried out under the guidance of chief minister Bhupendra Patel, with over 1,400 personnel, including 145 technical officers and 1,316 field staff, deployed across affected districts.The department also pressed into service more than 300 heavy machines, including 195 JCBs, 86 tractors and 59 dumpers, to clear debris and repair damaged stretches.A State Flood Control Cell monitored the situation every two hours, while six specialised engineering teams assessed the structural safety of government buildings and bridges in flood-hit districts, ANI reported.
Relief package extended to Valsad, Navsari
State minister Jitu Vaghani said traders, truck owners and others affected by the floods in Valsad and Navsari districts would receive financial assistance on the same lines as the relief package announced earlier for Surat and Ahmedabad.According to an official release, around 18,000 beneficiaries in Valsad have already received relief, including Rs 3.5 crore in cash assistance, Rs 9.5 crore towards household losses and housing aid, PTI reported.Vaghani said immediate surveys would be conducted to assess crop losses, after which compensation would be provided under state and central government norms.He added that district collectors had been authorised to take urgent decisions to address fodder shortages, while scientific measures would also be undertaken to save damaged orchards and plantations.Valsad and Navsari were among the worst-affected districts during the recent rains, with Umbergaon taluka recording over 1,100 mm of rainfall in just over 48 hours, triggering widespread flooding and affecting lakhs of residents.
Surat on red alert as fresh weather system approaches
Surat has also been placed on high alert after a weather system originating over the Bay of Bengal began moving towards Gujarat.Surat Municipal commissioner M Nagarajan said a red alert had been issued for the city and district, following directions from the State Emergency Operations Centre, PTI reported.“NDRF and SDRF teams are already on standby, and additional teams can be deployed immediately if required. We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure a prompt response to any exigency,” Nagarajan said.As part of precautionary measures, the Surat Municipal Corporation has removed 150 hoardings and 100 hazardous trees, secured high-mast towers across the city and opened shelter homes in low-lying areas for residents who may need to be evacuated.The IMD said a deep depression over west-central Chhattisgarh and adjoining Vidarbha and southeast Madhya Pradesh is expected to move westwards towards Gujarat while gradually weakening.The weather office also said the monsoon trough remains active south of its normal position, with an east-west shear zone persisting across central India, creating favourable conditions for widespread rainfall.Authorities have forecast another spell of heavy to very heavy rainfall between July 31 and August 1, with isolated places likely to receive extremely to exceptionally heavy rainfall on Friday.Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Narmada, Tapi and Dangs are among the districts expected to witness intense showers over the next three days.
Ahmedabad issues work-from-home advisory
With another spell of heavy rain forecast, the AMC issued an advisory urging residents to work from home on Friday and Saturday.Municipal commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani said all leave for civic officials had been cancelled and emergency control rooms activated across the city.“We are appealing to citizens to work from home on both days,” he said, adding that people should avoid parking vehicles in flood-prone basements and stay away from trees and hoardings during strong winds.The civic body has converted municipal schools and community halls into emergency shelters and kept 245 stormwater pumping stations and 315 drainage pumping stations operational.Officials said the Sabarmati river had been drained by opening all gates of the Vasna Barrage to create additional storage capacity for incoming rainwater, while water supply to the Kharicut Canal had been suspended as a precaution.The AMC has also identified 147 waterlogging-prone locations and deployed teams to monitor them round the clock.Residents of low-lying areas will be shifted to safer places if flooding worsens.Mayor Hitesh Barot said the city’s drainage network, canals and water bodies had been cleaned ahead of the expected rainfall, with workers and pumping equipment positioned at vulnerable locations.
