Heavy Rains, Waterlogging At Several Places In Gujarat; 14 Gates Of Motisar Dam In Rajkot Opened

Incessant rain and waterlogging have disrupted normal life in many parts of Gujarat. There was flood-like situation in some places after 14 gates of Motisar Dam in Rajkot were opened on August 24 to release water, following heavy rainfall in the area, officials said. Triveni Thanga dam in Surendranagar was also overflowing on August 24. Severe waterlogging has been reported in several areas of Bhuj. Heavy rainfall has been reported in many parts of the state from August 23 including Mehsana, Patan, Surat, Gir Somnath, Sabarkantha, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and a few more areas. Nine people lost their lives on August 23 in seven districts as torrential rain continued to batter the state. As many as 277 roads were closed, including the national highway that passes through Mehsana, 11 state highways, 11 district roads and 254 panchayat roads. Electricity supply to 53 villages was affected in Valsad, Mahisagar, Rajkot, Dwarka, Surendranagar, Kutch, Ahmedabad, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Aravalli and Patan. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted extremely heavy rainfall over southwest Rajasthan and Gujarat. A total of 13 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed to tackle the situation, while some are on standby. Gujarat has already received more than 90 per cent of the average annual rainfall so far.