Over 7,000 Displaced in Gujarat as Rains Batter Several Parts of Country

New Delhi: Rains lashed several parts of the country on Sunday, including Gujarat where over 7,000 people were shifted to safer places over the last two days, even as the situation in deluge-ravaged Assam showed signs of improvement.

Heavy showers were also witnessed in parts of West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. In Gujarat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani conducted an aerial survey in parts of the inundated Surendranagar district to take stock of the situation.

Rains lashed parts of Banaskantha, Sabarkantha and Valsad districts, a release by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) said.

Rescue operations have been initiated in Kalol of Gandhinagar and Deodar of Banskantha as both places received 8 inches of rain during last 24 hours, an official said. According to the state Director of Relief, A J Shah, 7,000 people were shifted to safer places due to flood-like situation in several districts of the state during the last two days.

People drive through a flooded road after heavy rains in Ahmedabad on July 22, 2017. (Photo: Reruters/Amit Dave)

Transport was brought to a standstill in the state as nineteen state highways and 102 roads were closed due to waterlogging.

The MeT department here predicted more showers at several places during the next two days, including extremely heavy rain in Banskantha, Sabarkantha, Patan and Mehsana districts on Monday.

In Assam, almost 60,000 people are still affected across nine districts, even though the overall flood situation improved in the state, a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

The total number of deaths in flood-related cases this year stands at 76, including eight in Guwahati, according to officials.

Villagers use a boat as they try to move to safer places at a flood-affected village in Darrang district in the northeastern state of Assam on July 14, 2017. (Photo: Reruters/Anuwar Hazarika)

The ASDMA said 224 villages and over 16,000 hectares of crop area were still inundated.

Meanwhile, incessant rains in Gangetic West Bengal led to flooding of several low-lying areas, even as the Met department warned the wet spell would continue till Tuesday. Some rivers in the state are flowing above the danger mark, West Bengal Irrigation Minister Rajiv Banerjee said, adding that the irrigation department is monitoring embankments round the clock.

The Met department also advised fishermen to not venture into the sea.

Kolkata, where some low-lying areas got waterlogged, recorded 60.5 mm rainfall in the 24 hours till 8.30 AM on Sunday, the department said.

Heavy rains are expected in the coastal state of Odisha in the next 24 hours due to the development of a low-pressure area.

Fishermen have been advised to be cautious while venturing into sea off the Odisha coast due to rough seas with wind speeds gusting up to 55 kmph, the Met department said. Bihar received light to moderate showers at several places, with state capital Patna recording 21.2 mm of rain.

In the national capital Delhi, the humidity level shot up after showers, hovering between 97 per cent to 65 percent. Several places in Uttar Pradesh were lashed by rains today, with the state capital recording 6.7 mm of rainfall, the Met department said.

Villagers use a boat as they row past partially submerged houses at a flood-affected village in Morigaon district in the northeastern state of Assam. (Photo: Reruters/Anuwar Hazarika)

Rain or thundershowers are likely at most places in the eastern parts of the state and at some places in western Uttar Pradesh, it said.

Most parts of Haryana and Punjab witnessed sultry weather, but rain or thundershowers are predicted over the next two days.

Moderate to heavy rains also lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh. The local MeT department has predicted rains in the region for the next six days.

Rajasthan capital Jaipur recorded 43.1 mm rainfall while several other places in the state also experienced showers during the last 24 hours, Met officials said.

The department has predicted that heavy rainfall was very likely to occur at a few places.