Surat

Gujarat's Surat city received 358 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending Wednesday morning, leading to a flood-like situation in the city's creek area and widespread waterlogging which severely disrupted normal life.

More than 3,400 people were rescued and over 3,800 shifted from low-lying areas of the city, officials said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reviewed the situation at a cabinet meeting in Gandhinagar. He would be visiting Surat and Valsad on Thursday, officials said.

Surat city received 14.09 inches or 358 mm of rain between 6 am on Tuesday and 6 am on Wednesday, according to data from the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). Though the rain halted later, the situation remained dire in the city and surrounding areas.

Videos on social media showed people walking through knee-deep water. Many were seen pushing stalled two-wheelers through waterlogged roads.

Water also entered houses, commercial complexes and shops in many places.

Public transportation including city bus services were disrupted due to waterlogging.

Ground-floor shops at Poddar Arcade in Varachha area were entirely submerged.

"Due to waterlogging in 187 spots, a total of 3,489 people have been rescued and 3,897 people have been shifted to relief centres," the Surat Municipal Corporation said in a statement, adding that 12,218 food packets, 5,150 water bottles and 400 milk packets were distributed.

"Areas near Khadi (creek), including Limbayat, Udhna, Varachha and Kadodara have been facing waterlogging," Surat Collector Tejas Parmar told PTI.

Food packets were also distributed in high-rise buildings situated in waterlogged areas of the city, he said.

Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and five teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed in Surat for rescue operations, he said.

"Flood relief and rescue operations were carried out by NDRF Team 6 in Mithikhadi area of Surat, with female rescuers safely rescuing citizens," said a post on the official X handle of the Surat Collector.

NDRF teams were seen rescuing people from areas with chest-deep water using boats, while police personnel were seen carrying children in their arms.

"As a safety measure, a holiday was declared on July 8 for all schools, colleges and anganwadis in the district. Citizens are requested not to step out of their homes unless they have very essential work," Collector Parmar said.

Residents and business owners expressed disappointment over the severe waterlogging.

"I am a small businessman, and my shop is located in Yash Plaza Complex on Varachha Road. All the shops in this area are flooded, and business owners like me are suffering financial losses due to the administration's failure to manage the situation," Mahesh Gadhiya told reporters.

Ruchita Savat, a resident, said, "There is no electricity, food, or access to basic necessities....The ground floor of our residence is completely submerged. We have not even received food packets yet."

Surat district's Palasana taluka received 18.19 inches (462 mm) of rainfall between 6 am on Tuesday and 6 am on Wednesday, followed by Kamrej with 17.40 inches (442 mm). Bardoli received 9.37 inches (238 mm) and Ambika received 9.25 inches (235 mm) of rainfall.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reviewed the rain situation across the state at a cabinet meeting in Gandhinagar and instructed ministers to visit rain-affected districts to oversee relief and rescue operations.

Patel himself will visit Surat and Valsad on Thursday, said government spokesperson and minister Jitu Vaghani.

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The ministers were asked to personally assess the preparedness of the district administration and disaster management machinery in rain-affected areas, he added.

The cabinet also condoled the deaths of 11 people in rain-related incidents, Vaghani said.