Ahmedabad | Even as rains abated in most parts of Gujarat on Friday morning, several towns and villages witnessed water logging due to swollen rivers, officials said.`
According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), only four places in the state received 15 mm to 26 mm of rain between 6 am and 2 pm, while other parts remained dry or received light showers during this period.
The India Metrological Department (IMD) has warned that a deep depression over the Kutch region might turn into a cyclonic storm.
Due to the phenomenon, Mundra taluka of Kutch district received 26 mm of rainfall, the highest in the state, between 6 am and 2 pm, followed by Veraval of Gir Somnath (18 mm), Dwarka of Devbhumi Dwarka (16 mm), Dantiwada of Banaskantha (15mm) and Anjar taluka of Kutch district (15 mm), the SEOC said.
Several parts of Mandvi town of Kutch district remained inundated, and some parts of Bhuj, Anjar and Nakhatrana towns were waterlogged, officials said.
Vadodara city, which witnessed a flood-like situation due to the swelling of the Vishwamitri river, is slowly limping back to normalcy as water has receded in most parts of the city, the city civic authorities stated in a release.
The river, which was flowing above the danger mark at 37 feet, was at 23.16 feet on Friday, and of 6,073 persons rescued and relocated, 1,610 have returned to their homes, it said.
While there was no rain in Kheda district, several parts of Kheda town and nearly 20 villages of the taluka and adjoining Matar taluka were inundated as the Shedhi river was in spate, authorities said.
Several houses and shops in the main market area of Kheda town and main roads were still under one foot of water, they said.
Kheda collector Amit Prakash Yadav has expressed hope that the situation will improve as the flood water of the Shedhi river eventually goes into the Sabarmati river.
In Devbhumi Dwarka district, which received extremely heavy rainfall the last two days, several areas of Dwarka, Okha and Jam Raval town are still inundated, collector GT Pandya said.
"We have installed pumps to drain out water from buildings. The overflowing of the Vartu dam is causing waterlogging in Jam Raval and surrounding areas. Fortunately, the flow is decreasing. Of 132 villages that faced power outage till Thursday, electricity has been restored in 111 villages," Pandya said.
In Bharuch, nearly ten villages of Jambusar and Amod talukas have remained inundated since Thursday after water from the Dhadhar river entered these areas, Bharuch collector Tushar Sumera said.
"Water from Vishwamitri flows into the Dhadhar river, which passes from Jambusar and Amod taluka of Bharuch before meeting the sea. So, the water released from Ajwa dam eventually came into Dhadhar. We have shifted nearly 200 people to safer places. The situation is under control and will improve very soon," Sumera said.
Authorities had on Wednesday said that 26 had died in rain-related incidents in the state earlier this week.
