Heavy rain triggers highway closures, dam discharge and evacuations across Gujarat

Ahmedabad/Surendranagar: Heavy rainfall across several parts of Gujarat on Saturday prompted authorities to close key highways, issue flood warnings for dozens of downstream villages, evacuate vulnerable residents and carry out overnight rescue operations as the administration remained on high alert.

Traffic on the Sanathal-Bagodara Highway between Changodar and Bavla was suspended because of heavy rain. Authorities advised motorists to use the Dholera Express Highway via the Vejalka–Bagodara stretch as an alternative route.

Vehicles travelling from Rajkot were also asked to use the diversion.

Officials urged the public to avoid unnecessary travel and cooperate with police and administrative teams engaged in rescue operations. The Ahmedabad-Viramgam Highway was also closed because of excessive water flow.

Authorities said the route was unsafe for traffic in both directions between Sanand and Viramgam and announced the temporary closure of the entire highway until conditions improve.

In Patan district, 35 people belonging to 10 families from Chhansara village in Santalpur taluka were shifted to a safer location as a precautionary measure.

The evacuated residents have been accommodated in the village school. Rescue teams also carried out an overnight operation in Kochada village of Patdi taluka in Surendranagar district, where six people had become stranded due to heavy rainfall.

The operation, conducted jointly by the Patan Fire Team and the local administration, began at 1:10 a.m. and concluded successfully at 2:30 a.m., with all six people brought to safety by boat.

The administration said it remained on 24-hour alert and appealed to residents to avoid venturing out unnecessarily and not to pay attention to rumours.

Authorities also issued flood warnings after announcing that the gates of the Machhu-2 Dam would be opened on Saturday, releasing an estimated 49,000 cusecs of water into the river following a rise in the reservoir level caused by heavy rainfall in upstream areas.

Residents of low-lying areas downstream of the dam were advised not to enter the riverbed and to move livestock and belongings to safer locations.

The warning covers Morbi city and 20 villages in Morbi taluka. In Dang district, officials said restoration work was underway after heavy rainfall disrupted electricity and communication services.

Teams of DGVCL and BSNL were working to restore power supply and mobile connectivity on a priority basis.

Continuous monitoring was being carried out to resume services at BSNL towers located at Subir, Shabaridham, Pimpri, Hanvatchond and Sakarpatal, as well as at the Waghai telephone exchange.

Separately, the Dholidhaja Dam in Surendranagar district reached 100 per cent capacity due to excess inflow from the Narmada Canal.

Authorities warned residents in downstream areas, including Surendranagar, Ratanpar, Joravarnagar, Wadhwan, Memka, Bhadiyad, Nana Kerala, Sankli, Shiyani, Natvargadh, Daulatpar, Ramrajpar, Jambu and Parnala, to avoid entering the river and to move property and livestock to safer locations as a precaution.

Officials reiterated appeals for people to avoid unnecessary travel, follow advisories issued by the administration and cooperate with emergency response teams as heavy rainfall continued to affect several districts across the state.

IANS