Heavy rains in parts of central Gujarat, 250 mm rainfall in Halol in 12 hrs; more downpour predicted

Ahmedabad, Aug 30 (PTI) Heavy rains lashed parts of central Gujarat on Saturday with Halol taluka in Panchmahal district recording 250 mm downpour in 12 hours, affecting people living in low-lying areas due to flooding and sending several rivers in spate.

Godhra in Panchmahal district was also affected due to rains in the upstream of Mesri river which passes through the town, officials said.

Amid rising water levels of the Mesri river, people residing in low-lying areas in Godhra and Halol were being evacuated to safer places, an official said.

Panchmahal district authorities said the water level of Mesri river rose sharply after heavy rains upstream, and warned locals against venturing near the river banks.

This sudden rise in water level caused flooding in low-lying residential areas of Godhra city, with several families seeking help as they were unable to step out of their homes.

A causeway in the city also got submerged, bringing the movement of vehicles using it to a halt and forcing the people to take a long detour, the officials said.

"The local administration and the municipality are closely monitoring the situation. Fire brigade personnel and rescue teams have been kept on alert wherever necessary. Officials have instructed people living along the riverbanks to remain cautious and stay away from dangerous areas," an official statement said.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was kept on stand-by at Halol to carry out rescue and relief operations, they said.

Three districts in central Gujarat - Panchmahal, Anand, and Mahisagar - were among the worst affected. Halol taluka received 250 mm rainfall in 12 hours from 6 am on Saturday and Umreth in Anand recorded 120 mm rains during the period, the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) data showed.

Kadana and Santrampur in Mahisagar district also received over 100 mm rains during this period, according to it.

Heavy rains in Panchmahal district left several parts of Halol town flooded. Many villages in rural areas were also affected by heavy rains, with several dams flowing above the danger level.

Heavy rains in the catchment area of Sardar Sarovar Dam in Narmada district, and release of water from Omkareshwar dam in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh led to discharge of 3.45 lakh cusec water into the Narmada river, officials said.

While the reservoir level of Narmada dam rose to 136.74 metres, with the dam full nearly 93.56 per cent of its total capacity, an alert was sounded for the villages located downstream of the river in Narmada, Vadodara and Bharuch districts, the officials said.

As per the SEOC data, Gujarat has so far received nearly 90 per cent of its average annual rainfall, with as many as 44 taluka receiving over 1,000 mm rains.

The data showed that out of the state's 206 reservoirs, 104 were kept on high alert due to rise in water level. Another 30 dams were on alert, and a warning was issued for 12 others.

The met department has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in several parts of Gujarat over the next seven days, with orange alert issued for Kheda, Anand, Panchmahal, Dahod and Vadodara for next 12 hours, and for Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Dang and Tapi for September 3 and 4. PTI KA NP