India – Torrential Rain and Floods in Maharashtra and Gujarat

Strong winds, lightning strikes and torrential rainfall in western India have caused at least 20 fatalities since 22 June in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, including the capital Mumbai.

Maharashtra

According to India’s National Emergency Response Centre (NERC), 16 people have died as a result of severe weather in Maharashtra in the last 4 days. Many of those died in lightning strikes between 22 and 24 June. Four people died as a result of the severe weather on 25 June. Two died when a tree fell, 1 died in flooding, another when a wall collapsed. Local media say deaths were reported in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane among other areas.

A landslide near a residential building in a Wadala, a built-up area of Mumbai, damaged a number of vehicles and promoted evacuations by local disaster management officials. No injuries or fatalities were reported.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) Santa Cruz observatory in Mumbai recorded 231.4 mm in 24 hours to 25 June. Palghar recorded 148.3 mm and Thane 136.4 mm during the same period.

Teams from India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) consisting of 98 rescuers with 8 boats have been deployed to affected areas of the state, according to NERC.

Gujarat

Four deaths were also reported in Gujarat after torrential rainfall there from 25 June, 2018. Flooding was reported in southern areas, including the cities of Navsari, Vadodara, and Surat

State Emergency Operation Centre in Gujarat reported that in a 24 hour period to 26 June, Kaprada recorded 294 mm of rain, Valsad 288 mm and Vapi 251 mm. Local officials said that the state’s flood management plan has been put into action.

Over 230 Deaths Since Start of Monsoon

Monsoon rain in India has affected parts of the country since 29 May, 2018. So far, over 1 million people have been affected in the north-eastern states, including Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and West Bengal, and the southern states of Kerala and Karnataka.

NERC reports that, as of 25 June, the number of deaths as a result of severe weather since the beginning of the current monsoon season stands at 239, with 66 fatalities reported in Kerala, 26 in Assam, 9 in Manipur, 21 in Tripura, 47 in West Bengal, and 70 in Maharashtra.

Social Media

https://twitter.com/prakashachary1/status/1011167317793832960

For next 48 hours : Heavy to very heavy rain is forecasted in Saurashtra – mainly in Amreli, Bhavnagar, Girsonath, Botad and Rajkot,and North Gujarat region . Flood management plan into action.

— Pankaj Kumar, IAS (@pkumarias) June 25, 2018

Major landslide at #Wadala. Visiting there soon. pic.twitter.com/Aj3x7Y4DHS

— Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) June 25, 2018

Featured photo: Monsoon rains in Mumbai. Photo: Harini Calamur / Flickr under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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