Surat: A team of senior officials from central and state disaster-management agencies visited Surat on Thursday to assess the city’s recent flood situation, review response measures and discuss strategies in flood preparedness and mitigation.The delegation comprised Mukul Mohan, joint adviser (mitigation project and planning) at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA); Yogi Vijay, superintending engineer at the Central Water Commission (CWC); Ashokkumar Das, scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD); Vikas Singh, second-in-command of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF); and Dhaval Pandya, additional chief executive officer of the Gujarat Disaster Management Authority.According to the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), the visit focused on understanding the causes and impact of the recent floods and assessing the city’s response. A detailed meeting was held at the Integrated Command and Control Centre, where SMC officials and representatives of other government agencies discussed flood patterns, emergency operations and coordination mechanisms.During the meeting, SMC officials presented details of the recent flooding, including waterlogging in low-lying areas, the overflowing of Mithi and Bhedwad creeks and the evacuation and shifting of residents before and during the peak of the flooding.The presentation also covered relief and recovery measures, including the distribution of food packets, emergency assistance, sanitation and post-flood cleaning operations, as well as the deployment of personnel and resources during the crisis.Following the meeting, the delegation visited several flood-affected areas to assess ground conditions and identify vulnerabilities. The officials visited Prem Nagar slums and Avirbhav Society in Pandesara, located along the Bhedwad creek, as well as Pramukh Park on Udhna Main Road, Wambe Awas near the Parvat creek bridge, Rushi Vihar Society and Saniya Hemad village.Parts of Surat have experienced repeated flooding caused by overflowing creeks since July 7.Officials said the recurring inundation affected around 10 lakh people across several parts of the city and resulted in business losses worth crores of rupees.The observations gathered during the field visits and discussions are expected to be compiled by the central and state agencies to support long-term flood mitigation planning across the city.
