Gujarat, Rajasthan reel under flood fury, 14 dead in 24 hours
AHMEDABAD/JAIPUR: Worsening floods killed at least 14 people in Gujarat and Rajasthan, where rescuers raced to reach people stuck on rooftops and trees as heavy rain continued on Tuesday.
The rains in the two state coincided with similar conditions in other parts of the country, flooding pockets of Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar.
Authorities in Bhubaneswar said the state was on alert after the water levels of three of its key rivers breached the danger mark.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspected the devastation in Gujarat, flying over towns and villages in the worst-hit northern districts on Tuesday. He announced a ~500-crore relief package, and ~2 lakh payout to the families of those killed.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force and the Indian military used boats and helicopters, shifting some 50,000 people to safety in Gujarat on Monday and Tuesday.
“Everything possible will be done to help the farmers, who suffer immensely due to floods… While reviewing the situation, I could see the Government of Gujarat responded to the flood situation quite swiftly,” the PM tweeted.
Before the aerial survey, Modi took stock of the situation at a high-level meeting attended by chief minister Vijay Rupani, his cabinet colleagues and state officials in Ahmedabad.
Banaskantha and Patan, which are otherwise prone to drought, were hit the worst after being lashed with 15 to 18 inches of rainfall between Monday and Tuesday morning. Heavy rains are likely in the next 48 hours, weather officials warned.
Seven lakh food packets have been distributed in affected villages using IAF choppers, since more than 370 roads, including six National Highways and 20 State Highways, remained inundated across the state.
In Rajasthan’s Jalore district, seven people who spent the night on a tree to escape rising waters were airlifted on Tuesday. Bad weather and low clouds thwarted four attempts to rescue them by choppers on Monday.
The country’s northeastern regions, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, had earlier this month reeled under heavy flooding due to monsoon rains.
The Assam government has sought an interim assistance of Rs 2,939 crore from the central government to deal with destruction caused by floods.