Two people died and two others are feared drowned as heavy rain continued to hit Gujarat on Wednesday. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said he was personally reviewing the flood control measures in Gir-Somnath district, which has been the worst affected so far.
Eighteen-year-old Devendra Chavda drowned when he was trying to cross a rivulet at Bhupgadh village, 30 km east of Rajkot district, The Indian Express reported. “An NDRF [National Disaster Response Force] team recovered his body and motorcycle around 10 am on Tuesday,” said an officer of the Rajkot district flood control room. Another death was reported on Monday night from Bhavnagar.
Bachu Nayka, a 58-year-old resident of Hond village in Chikhli taluka of Navsari, was feared to have drowned in Kaveri river when he was returning home on Tuesday. His body is yet to be recovered. Another man drowned in Padra, reported Tv9 Gujarati.
Train services on Wednesday were also restored at Kanalus junction in Rajkot after rail tracks had gone underwater a day before, said the Western Railway.
Close to 19,000 people have been moved to safer places from Saurashtra and south Gujarat. Rescue teams and National Disaster Response Force officials helped relocate people from Navsari, Gir Somnath, Surat, and Bhavnagar, revenue department records showed.
Quoting the Indian Meteorological Department, the National Disaster Management Authority in a tweet has predicted heavy rain in Gujarat, its surrounding areas, and other states on Wednesday. A heavy rain alert also continues for east Gujarat, western Madhya Pradesh, the Konkan region, and Goa due to a cyclonic circulation over the Arabian Sea.
A senior government officer on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Gujarat visit, scheduled for July 20, has been postponed due to the heavy rain. Modi was scheduled to attend three public functions in Junagadh, Dharampur in Valsad, and Gandhinagar. “A new date will be declared once an intimation in that regard comes from the Prime Minister’s Office,” said the officer.
The chief minister also conducted an serial survey of the flood-affected areas on Tuesday.
Government sources said that two national highways and 12 state highways have been closed while power supply has been disrupted in 113 villages. To maintain drinking water supply, 193 tankers have been arranged for 147 villages under 39 talukas.
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