Army deployed in Gujarat for rescue operations, 70,000 evacauted

Ahmedabad, Aug 20 (UNI) Army columns were today sent to rescue scores of people stranded in seven villages of North Gujarat even as three persons died in a rain-related incident in Ahmedabad district.

While incessant rains continued to lash in North Gujarat since last night, it declined in fury in the Central districts. But more than 70,000 people have been evacuated to safer places as fresh floods triggered by release of dam water hit most of these districts. The Kadana, Vanakbori and Dharoi dams had been overflowing due to incessant rains in North Gujarat and South Rajasthan since Thursday.

Army teams were despatched this morning to five villages of Radhanpur, and two villages of Santhalpur talukas, that have been cut off. ''There is a deep causeway in between and hence Army help was sought to rescue the villagers,'' flood control department said.

Three people died in an incident of house collapse in Chandrasen village in Kadi area near Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, more than 6.5 lakh and 2.25 lakh cusecs of water has been released from the Vanakbori dam into Mahisagar river and from the Dharoi dam into Sabarmati respectively. Low-lying areas of Ahmedabad like Acher village, Nava Vadaj, Chandrabhaga pole, V S Hospital, Juhapura, Dudeswari dhobi ghat, Shahpur, Raigad, Khanpur and Gaewad haveli are facing water-logging.

Water level in Dharoi is just less than three feet below the red mark. And 1.92 lakh cusecs water is being released from Ukai dam.

The situation is Sardar Sarovar dam is better today with outflow less than the inflow.

People have been evacuated from 26 villages of Kheda district, 38 of Anand, 41 villages and localities of Ahmedabad, 15 villages of Panchmahals, four villages each of Vadodara and Patan and two villages each in Sabarkantha and Bharuch.

Danta in Banaskantha recieved the maximum rains of 263 mm since yesterday while Vadgaon in the same district got 215 mm rains.

Patan's Radhanpur taluka and Santhalpur recieved 234 mm 177 mm rains respectively.

This is for the fourth time in this season that the Central Gujarat is facing flood threats.

UNI TEAM-MMG SSS AKJ RN1324