Gujarat rain: Death toll rises to 14 in past 24 hours, govt issues red alert in 5 districts
The death toll due to rain-related incidents in Gujarat in the last 24 hours ending Wednesday morning climbed to 14, pushing the total number of casualties in the state till now this monsoon to 83, said state revenue minister Rajendra Trivedi. The government has also declared a ‘red alert’ in Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Dangs, Navsari and Valsad districts with the IMD predicting heavy showers in these districts.
Trivedi added, “Two people died after trees fell on them, two others died after being struck by lightning and nine died after drowning.” Trivedi was briefing mediapersons in Gandhinagar. He said the rain eased in many parts of the state Wednesday.
According to the minister, 575 people have been rescued from flood-affected areas in the last 24 hours. Of these, an estimated 110 persons have been rescued from Bhuj, Nakhatrana, Lakhpat, Abdasa, Mundra and Mandvi talukas of Kutch district. Trivedi said BSF and Coast Guard helped in rescuing six and five persons, respectively, in Kutch district.
“A total 31,035 people have been evacuated so far, of which 9,941 have returned home, while 21,094 are still in rescue camps under the state government’s care,” he added. The number of homes that were fully damaged include 19 huts and 101 houses. A total of 481 animals have perished this monsoon.
Trivedi further said 19 platoons of the State Disaster Response Force and 18 platoons of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed for rescue and relief works, while additional forces have been kept on standby. Due to heavy rain in Gujarat, national highway 41 (NH-41) in Kutch, national highway 64 (NH-64) in Navsari and the national highway passing through Dangs have been shut. “A total of 483 panchayat roads are closed due to heavy rain on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. As many as 51 state highways and other roads have also been closed,” the minister said, adding transportation on 537 roads have been affected.
Of the 14,610 permanent bus routes in Gujarat, 124 are currently non-operational. As far as electricity supply is concerned, a total of 769 villages had lost supply but the government has restored electricity to 729 villages, while power to 40 villages will be restored by Wednesday evening.
Trivedi said Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had not only conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected regions in the state but also went on ground to meet people in Bodeli in Chotta Udepur and the affected spots in Navsari.
