Incessant rains throw life out of gear in Mangrol

Mangrol Mamalatdar Aarti Vyas said that Shapur,

Talodra,Loiyej,Maktupur,Karangta,Kalej,Nagichana,Karamadi,Nandarkhi and Sheriyaj villages have been isolated due to floods.

She said: “The situation is serious,but under control. We have evacuated some 300 families to safer places. Floodwater has marooned 10 villages in the area. Water-logging has been reported in the low lying areas of Mangrol. Some 10 people trapped in floodwaters on the outskirts of Mangrol city have been rescued.”

She added that two boats have been kept on standby to carry out rescue operations. Besides,half a dozen tractors,four earthmovers and trucks have been pressed into service to solve the water-logging problem.

Mangrol Nagar Palika president Iqbal Chhapara,said: “A house located in Rathod faliya in Mangrol city has collapsed,but no casualties have been reported so far.” Chhapara said unless the rain stops,the situation may worsen.

Gushing floodwaters also disrupted traffic flow on the Mangrol-Keshod and Mangol-Porbandar roads,said officials.

M F Dastoor,Chief Fire Officer,Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Service,said two pumping sets for Mangrol and one for Porbandar were being rushed to tackle the situation in accordance with instructions from the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA).

According to the district flood control room,heavy rainfall has been reported from several places in Junagadh district. Maliya reported 336mm,Sutrapada 287,Veraval 269,Bhesan 145,Vanthli 114,Visavadar 110,Junagadh 104,Keshod 104,Kodinar 80,Mendarada 78,Una 53,Talala 50 and Manawadar 13mm of rainfall.

Heavy rains,thundershowers predicted in next 48 hours

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued warnings predicting heavy rains across Gujarat over the next two days. While heavy thunderstorms are expected in Saurashtra and Kutch regions,moderate rains are most likely in north and south Gujarat.

An IMD official said: “An upper air cyclonic circulation over Gujarat region extending between 2.1 and 7.6 kilometres above sea level,in addition to an off-shore trough present in the Arabian Sea are the possible reasons for the downpour.”

The IMD has also issued a warning for the ports,stating that the sea will be very rough with waves coming from the south-westerly direction.

The officials added that due to the prevailing squally weather conditions,the state will witness wind speeds between 45 and 65 kmph,mainly along the south Gujarat coast. Meanwhile,many parts of the state received moderate to heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours,with Mangrol in Junagadh leading the table with nearly 500 mm of rains. It is followed by Umergam taluka of Valsad district,Jafarabad in Amreli,and Jetpur and Dhoraji (130 mm) in Rajkot.

“In the last 24 hours,there has been around 500 mm of rainfall in Mangrol taluk,which has caused problem of heavy waterlogging in the low lying villages. We have asked the Army to remain on standby,” said Junagadh District Collector Ashvini Kumar.

The district collector said that they have evacuated 200 families from low-lying villages to safer places. The Met department has also advised fishermen not to venture into sea.

Rains continued in different parts of the state for the second consecutive day and two persons were killed when a two- storey building collapsed in the city due to overnight rains.

Road traffic has been affected as Mangrol-Chorwad and Angrol-Keshod roads are inundated with waters. Other talukas of Junagadh district like Veraval,Keshodk and Sutrapada have also received substantial rains,district officials said. Rainfall recorded in the last 24 hours at Umergam taluk of Valsad district was 148 mm,followed by Jafarabad (119) in Amreli and Jetpur (106) in Rajkot districts.

The other districts of the state that received good rainfall in the last 24 hours are Mehsana,Sabarkantha,Surat Narmada,Navsari,Vadodara,Panchmahal,Surendranagar,Amreli and Valsad. There was good rainfall recorded in Anand city (94mm),Nadiad city (80mm),Umarala (97mm) in Bhavnagar,Morva Hadal (91mm) in Panchmahals and Pardi (88mm) in Valsad.

In Kheda,water-logging was reported from several parts.