Destruction was visible along the banks of Daman Ganga, Par, Auranga and Tapti rivers with their embankment breached. Large herds of cattle were found stranded on small plots of land that remained above the water level.

According to Coast Guard officials, even though the Tapti is receding slowly, the low lying areas in north-east and north-west of Surat city are still under a few feet of murky water. In some areas the ground floor of buildings have been submerged, officials added.

Thousands of residents have taken shelter on rooftops of multi-storeyed buildings. Most of them were seen drying their soaked clothes.

Some low lying areas are still cut off from the rest of Surat city and most of the roads are either partially or fully submerged. The river was still flowingabove the danger mark this afternoon.

Meanwhile, a core team of divers from the Coast Guard have been flown in to an airbase at Daman to rush to Surat in case of emergency after a alert was sounded by the Gujarat Government director, Relief Operations. The regional headquarters have also mobilised a helicopter-borne team, which has been flying regular sorties to the marooned textile city.