A woman in a village in Vadodara collapses in her flooded house
Mumbai:
Many areas in Vadodara (Gujarat) and other cities and villages in the state are flooded after heavy rains for the second day in a row. The army has been called in for relief and rescue work. Some areas were under 3 to 4 meters of water, said Health Minister and government spokesman Rushikesh Patel.
In three days, 15 people have died in the floods, said Alok Pandey, relief commissioner of Gandhinagar. 6,440 people have been shifted from low-lying areas to safer areas and rescue operations are underway.
A woman sitting on the verandah of her flood-hit house in Vadodara told NDTV that it has been raining continuously for over two days.
“We have not been able to go out and have not had proper food. No one has come to give us relief materials. My father cannot walk and has not eaten anything. We sit here all night and cannot sleep,” the woman told NDTV.
Her daughter said they had to walk through floodwaters to reach their toilet outside the house. “My husband carries my father on his back when he goes to the toilet,” she said.
In another house where the water level was knee-deep, resident Tejal told NDTV that they hung their camp beds to dry during the day and put them in the water at night.
“We are sitting all night. We have not eaten anything. I have three small children whom I had to send to my mother. There is nothing to eat. What should we do? As a mother, I feel so sorry for them,” Tejal, standing in knee-deep water in the dark, damp house, told NDTV and broke down.
Rushikesh Patel said a long-term plan of the state government was to divert the flood water into the Narmada canal instead of releasing it into the Vishwamitri river.
“Such a situation has arisen after nearly 20 years. The Vishwamitri gets its water from Ajwa, Pratappura and three other uncapped reservoirs. As a long-term solution to flooding, we are considering diverting the water from the dam into the Narmada canal instead of letting it into the Vishwamitri. The plan has been discussed with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel,” he said.
“The situation in Vadodara is alarming as many areas on both sides of the river are still under 3-3.6 metres of water. Some areas are even under 1.2-1.5 metres of water. The local administration has shifted over 5,000 people to safer places and rescued nearly 1,200 stranded people,” Patel said.
The Vishwamitri river crossed the danger mark of 25 feet on Tuesday morning following heavy rains and release of water from the Ajwa dam.
Local politicians from the ruling BJP have been helping people even though their own houses were partially under water, Patel said, adding that over 38,000 food packets have been distributed and another 100,000 packets are ready for distribution.
