Gujarat on alert amid heavy rainfall forecast; NDRF teams deployed to tackle flood threat

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government has been taking all necessary precautions amid a heavy rainfall forecast for the state, an official said on Monday, adding that 13 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 22 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed across the state to deal with potential flooding and disaster-like situation.

NDRF teams have been positioned in Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Amreli, Banaskantha, Bhavnagar, Dwarka, Gir Somnath, Junagadh, Kutch, Morbi, Narmada, Navsari, Surat, Surendranagar, and Valsad to tackle all sorts of emergencies.

Meanwhile, SDRF teams are on standby in Anand, Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, Bharuch, Chhota Udepur, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kheda, Mahisagar, Morbi, Narmada, Navsari, Panchmahal, Patan, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surat, Tapi, and Dang.

In light of the heavy rainfall recorded in several talukas across Gujarat, the state government has implemented precautionary measures.

On Sunday night, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel held discussions over telephone with the district collectors of seven key districts to assess the rain situation and ensure proper preparedness.

The Chief Minister specifically contacted the collectors of Morbi, Kutch, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Bhavnagar in the Saurashtra region, and Bharuch and Dang in southern Gujarat, directing them to "stay vigilant, protect lives and livestock, and manage disaster responses effectively", an official said.

"Today, an orange alert has been issued for Ahmedabad due to two consecutive days of heavy rainfall, including widespread waterlogging. The alert advises citizens to remain cautious as more rain is expected. Ahmedabad city has received approximately 4 inches of rain in the last 24 hours, with the southern zone experiencing the highest rainfall at 4.5 inches this month," the official said.

The heavy rains have led to flooding in various parts of the city since morning.

Normal life has been affected in Ahmedabad as heavy rainfall led to a flood-like situation in several places across the city.

Many stretches of road and underpasses got flooded due to the downpour, spelling trouble for the commuters.

In one of the videos that surfaced on the Internet, people were seen using makeshift boats to move from one place to another.