CM Patel orders evacuation and assures help to SDRF and NDRF

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) (India), August 25 (ANI): As heavy rains continue to lash the state of Gujarat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Sunday instructed officials to evacuate people from low-lying areas to safe places.

According to a statement by the CMO, Valsad, Tapi, Navsari, Surat, Narmada and Panchmahal districts in south Gujarat have been the worst hit by heavy rains.

The Chief Minister also held a telephonic conversation with the collectors of the above rain-affected districts to get details of the entire situation. He also assured the SDRF-NDRF of full assistance from the state.

Meanwhile, in the details received by the State Emergency Operation Centre, it has been found that the highest rainfall was 64 mm in Sagabara taluk of Narmada district from 6 am to 8 am on Sunday.

The maximum rainfall in the last 24 hours was 326 mm recorded at Vapi, Valsad.

Normal life has been affected in some parts of the state due to heavy rains and waterlogging.

“Around 120 mm of rain has fallen in Valsad town since last night… Keeping this in mind, the water level in Kashmir Nagar of Valsad has started rising due to which people are being displaced from here. So far, around a hundred families have been displaced…” said Astha Solanki, SDM of Valsad.

India’s Meteorological Department issued a red alert on Sunday, warning that “extremely heavy rainfall” is possible in the state of Gujarat.

The IMD has also issued a red alert for eastern Rajasthan, western Madhya Pradesh, Konkan and Goa, central Maharashtra and the northeastern states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura.

An orange alert has been issued for western Rajasthan, Gangetic West Bengal, coastal Karnataka and the northeastern states of Assam and Meghalaya. (ANI)