It has been raining heavily in South Gujarat since late last night. Valsad district received more than seven inches of rain between 12 midnight and 6 am, throwing life out of gear. The Meteorological Department has predicted moderate to heavy rain in some districts of South Gujarat and Saurashtra for the next four days. Gujarat has received more than 60 percent of the season’s average rainfall. Due to so much rain in Valsad, the railway underbridge has been closed, due to which the traffic is stopped. Apart from this, 47 roads in the district have been closed due to water logging or damage.
Flood like situation in Ambika river
Navsari and Dang districts also received widespread rain after three days. There was 3 inches of rain in Saputar last night, creating a flood like situation in the Ambika river. The effect of flood is being seen on the low level bridges in Chikhalda, Susarda and Aambapada built on the Ambika river. People were seen risking their lives crossing the river here. Apart from this, the tourists’ favorite Gira Waterfall was seen in its fiercest form today. The administration has imposed a ban on going near the waterfall.
Underpass submerged due to heavy rain in Vapi
Due to torrential rains since late night, life in Vapi has also become disrupted. The main underpass connecting East and West has been filled with water, due to which it had to be closed. This situation has put local residents and daily commuters in serious trouble. Due to overnight rain, the water level in the underpass rose rapidly, due to which traffic had to be completely stopped. Due to the closure of the underpass, people have to use alternative routes, which are available only after covering long distances.
Municipality engaged in extracting water
All the members and employees of Vapi Municipality are engaged in the work of removing water since whole night. However, all the dewatering pumps have failed, making the situation more challenging to handle. The municipality team has tried to arrange additional pumps to bring the situation under control and has also appealed to the local administration for help. A municipality official said, “We have made all possible efforts, but there is heavy Due to rain, the water level is continuously increasing and we are trying our best to open the underpass as soon as possible.
Due to the closure of the underpass, the local people are facing huge difficulties. School going children, office going employees and businessmen are facing obstacles in their daily work. A local resident said that we pass through this underpass every day, but now we have to travel a long distance, which is wasting both time and money.
(Input: Kaushik Joshi)