Western parts of India have been battered by torrential monsoon rainfall over the last 48 hours. The state of Gujarat has felt the brunt of the downpour and the subsequent flooding. Over 200 mm of rain fell in Surat in the last day. The latest reports say that as many as 50 people may have been killed in the flooding in Gujarat, with over 10,000 displaced.
Many of the deaths were caused by collapsing houses. The coastal district of Amreli is said to be one of the worst hit areas. Reports say that over 30 people have died as a result of the heavy rain and floods there.
Amreli district official, H R Suthar, told the Times of India, “Some parts of Amreli received very heavy rainfall since early morning, resulting in flood-like situation in many parts. All the rivers of the district are overflowing, cutting off 12 villages.”
Other districts affected include Rajkot, Gir-Somnath, Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Devbhoomi-Dwarka.
Rescue and Relief Operations
Teams from India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian air force (IAF) were called in yesterday, 24 June 2015 to assist with evacuating flood victims and delivering aid.
Around 1,000 victims are said to have been airlifted to safety. By late today IAF reported they carried out 23 sorties using 6 helicopters, dropping 5.87 tonnes of food packets.
Rainfall
The recent round of heavy rain began on 23 June following a deep depression over the Arabian Sea.
In Veraval, Gujarat, 76 mm of rain fell in 24 hours between 23 and 24 June, according to WMO figures.
The next day, Ahmadabad, the largest city n the state, saw 130 mm of rain in 24 hours between 24 and 25 June. In Surat, 203 mm of rain was recorded during the same period, and in Rajkot 127 mm.
Photos
All photos below are courtesy of the Indian Ministry of Defence / Indian Air force, taken during their relief and rescue operations.
Many parts of western India.in particular Mumbai saw the first of the heavy monsoon rains start on 18 June. Mumbai received over 300 mm in 24 hours, bringing parts of the city to a standstill.
Gujarat was hit by major floods in September 2014 when over 20,000 people were evacuated after the Vishwamitri River in the district and city of Vadodara overflowed.
