SURAT: Surat received 358mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending Wednesday morning, triggering flood-like conditions in the city’s creek areas and widespread waterlogging that severely disrupted normal life.Officials said more than 3,400 people were rescued, while over 3,800 residents from low-lying areas were shifted to safer locations.Chief minister Bhupendra Patel reviewed the rain situation during a cabinet meeting in Gandhinagar. Officials said he will visit Surat and Valsad on Thursday, news agency PTI reported.According to the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), Surat recorded 358mm (14.09 inches) of rainfall between 6am Tuesday and 6am Wednesday. Although the rain stopped later, flood conditions continued across the city and nearby areas.Videos on social media showed people wading through knee-deep water, while many were seen pushing stalled two-wheelers through flooded roads.Water entered homes, shops and commercial complexes in several parts of the city. Public transport, including city bus services, was also affected due to waterlogging.Ground-floor shops at Poddar Arcade in the Varachha area were completely submerged.“Due to waterlogging in 187 spots, a total of 3,489 people have been rescued and 3,897 people have been shifted to relief centres,” the Surat Municipal Corporation said in a statement.The civic body informed that 12,218 food packets, 5,150 water bottles and 400 milk packets were distributed.Surat collector Tejas Parmar said, “Areas near Khadi (creek), including Limbayat, Udhna, Varachha and Kadodara, have been facing waterlogging.”Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and five teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed for rescue operations.“Flood relief and rescue operations were carried out by NDRF Team 6 in Mithikhadi area of Surat, with female rescuers safely rescuing citizens,” the Surat Collector said in a post on X.NDRF personnel used boats to rescue people stranded in chest-deep water, while police officers were seen carrying children to safety.“As a safety measure, a holiday was declared on July 8 for all schools, colleges and anganwadis in the district. Citizens are requested not to step out of their homes unless they have very essential work,” collector Parmar said.Residents and traders expressed concern over the extensive flooding.“I am a small businessman, and my shop is located in Yash Plaza Complex on Varachha Road. All the shops in this area are flooded, and business owners like me are suffering financial losses due to the administration’s failure to manage the situation,” Mahesh Gadhiya said.Elsewhere in Surat district, Palasana taluka received 462mm (18.19 inches) of rainfall between 6am Tuesday and 6am Wednesday, followed by Kamrej with 442mm (17.40 inches). Bardoli recorded 238mm (9.37 inches), while Ambika received 235mm (9.25 inches).At the cabinet meeting, chief minister Bhupendra Patel directed ministers to visit rain-affected districts and monitor relief and rescue operations.The ministers were asked to personally review the preparedness of district administrations and disaster management teams in the affected areas.The cabinet also condoled the deaths of 11 people in rain-related incidents, government spokesperson and minister Jitu Vaghani said.(With agency inputs)
