Flood-like situation in Vadodara, over 1,000 evacuated

Vadodara city in central Gujarat received nearly 500 mm rainfall in 24 hours ending 8 am on Thursday, which created a flood-like situation in the city and disrupted the normal life.

The fire brigade, Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) evacuated around 1,000 people from the city and surrounding villages using boats and tractors, and shifted them to safer places, an official press release said.

The torrential rains inundated majority of the areas and roads in the city.

While the Vadodara airport has been shut since Wednesday, several trains have also been cancelled or diverted due to heavy waterlogging on tracks.

Water of the Vishwamitri river, which passes through the Vadodara, entered low-lying areas of the city after Ajwa dam overflowed, officials said, adding that people living in these areas are being evacuated.

As per the figures provided by the state government, Vadodara city received a staggering 499 mm of rainfall in 24 hours ending 8 am on Thursday.

Of this, 286 mm downpour battered the city in just four hours between 4 pm and 8 pm on Wednesday, the release said.

On Wednesday evening, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had called a meeting to review the situation in Vadodara, and asked IAS officers Vinod Rao and Lochan Sehra to rush to the city to provide guidance to the local administration in tackling the situation.

Rupani requested people living in low-lying areas around the river to cooperate with the administration and shift to higher areas.

State Meteorological (MeT) Department Director Jayanta Sarkar said this is a record rainfall received in Vadodara city.

He said the state is likely to receive heavy rains in the next three days.