70,000 evacuated in Central Gujarat as flood situation worsens

Gandhinagar, Aug 12 (UNI) Flood fury in Gujarat continued for the seventh day today, with more than 70,000 people having to be evacuated to safer places following the release of 18 lakh cusecs of water from five dams into Mahisagar and Sabarmati rivers since last midnight night.

High alert has been sounded in the six districts of Kheda, Vadodara, Panchmahals, Anand, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar and people from 250 villages across 18 talukas have been shifted to safer places. More than five million people are directly affected by the flash floods in the region.

However, the situation in rain-battered Surat improved considerably as water-level in most parts of the city receded.

Certain pockets of the city witnessed food shortages as the authorities could not reach them due to water-logging.

Chief Minister Narendra Modi undertook an aerial survey over the flood-hit areas.

He spoke to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and requested her to release as less water from Bajaj Sagar dam as possible.

Since midnight, 11.5 lakh cusecs water have been released from Vanakbori dam into Mahisagar river, Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel told reporters here.

Seven columns of Army were pressed into service in central Gujarat, he said.

The Shadi river in Kheda district is overflowing and has affected Dakor and Galteswar among other places.

In Anand, an embankment in Dholak Korada village was breached but 696 people living close by, were safely evacuated. Operations are still on to evacuate the stranded people from Karoli village in Anand.

In Vadodara, a body was recovered in Vadsar village while another woman died in a house collapse Navapura area of the city.

The swollen Mahisagar river is now flowing close to the danger mark in Vadodara. Eleven thousand people, including 2,362 families, have been evacuated from 25 villages of the district. Water at Vanakbori dam is flowing at danger level. In Padra, 150 people trapped while 11 people have been rescued so far by the Army helicopters.

In Tarapur of Anand district, six to seven lakh cusecs water were released as the Sabarmati began to overflow. Kheda town has got flooded by overflowing the Vatrak river. Power supply to the town has been cut off.

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