Death Toll Rises To 123 in Gujarat Floods, Several Other States Also Affected

The Gujarat flood death toll has risen to 123 after the death of 29 people, including that of 18 members of the same family, on 27 July, as reported by Outlook India.

Before the report of these deaths from Kankrej and Dhanera talukas of Banaskantha, 94 people had lost their lives in various rain-related reasons in the state till 26 July, said Principal Secretary, Revenue, Pankaj Kumar.

Two persons have also lost their lives in Palanpur town of Banaskantha due to a wall collapse, while one more person died in a similar incident at a nearby village, he added.

More than 1,600 people have been rescued with the help of the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and the National Disaster Response Force personnel since 24 July. Around 36,000 people have been evacuated to safe areas as helicopters and boats try to reach those still stranded.

The runway of the Ahmedabad Airport has been damaged, and severe water-logging has been noted outside Ahmedabad airport and parts of east Ahmedabad, following heavy rain in the city.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state on 25 July and announced a relief package of Rs 500 crore for the flood-affected districts. Along with this, an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured in the floods have also been declared by the Prime Minister.

The massive water inflow from Rajasthan, coupled with incessant rains since 21 July, severely affected road and rail transport in the state. The water levels in the rivers like that of Sabarmati and Damodar have also increased above the danger mark.

Swaminarayan Temple of Atladra, Vadodara is helping in bringing relief to the pathetic situation in Gujarat. The temple is sending food packets to the flood affected areas, and people from various regions are coming to the temple to provide their service

It is not only Gujarat that is facing the brunt of the monsoons, states like Rajasthan, Odisha, Assam are also witnessing similar situations.

Rajasthan

Torrential rains have wreaked havoc in Rajasthan; the death toll reached 12 with eight more people reported dead on 25 July.

Joint teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF) and state administration rescued at least 500 people.

While two were reported dead in Jalore, three in Barmer and one in Sirohi districts, two died in Udaipur. A family of nine – who had taken shelter on a treetop in Siyana village of Jalore – was rescued with the help of IAF choppers and NDRF divers and boats. Rescue operations have been proved to be difficult with the incessant rains.

Odisha

Odisha’s major rivers viz. Subarnarekha, Brahmani, Koel are flowing above the danger mark due to the rain.

Heavy rain is likely to continue in several parts of the state due to the low-pressure area persisting over in the region.

Authorities in Keonjhar, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts have stepped up their preparedness for rescue-and-relief operations while the situation in Balasore district is also being monitored.

The weather improved in Bengal on 25 July with no heavy rain in most parts. However, low lying areas in Birbhum, Purulia, West Midnapore and Hooghly districts were still under water. Roads in state capital Kolkata continued to be waterlogged.

Assam

Assam witnessed one of its worst flood this monsoon. Most of the rivers in Assam are now flowing below the danger mark, the overall flood situation in the state saw a marked improvement today, but the death toll rose to 77 after a person was reportedly washed away in Hojai.

Currently, a population of 23,118 is still affected by this wave of floods in nine districts, according to the report of Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

Jharkhand

Heavy rainfall has disrupted normal life in several parts of Jharkhand with many rivers, including Damodar, Konar and Siwane, overflowing in succession.

The district administrations of Ranchi, East Singhbhum, Hazaribagh, Bokaro and Giridih have declared a holiday on Wednesday for students up to class 8 given incessant rains, official sources said.

The Logical Indian community hopes that the plight of the people in the flood-affected areas gets better as fast as possible. With massive losses to human and animal life and property, we hope that normalcy comes back to the lives of all those who are suffering. It is interesting to note that although the government has sanctioned a grant of Rs 500 crores to the flood-affected districts in Gujarat, similar moves have not been taken for other states.