SURAT/PALANPUR/RAJKOT: Intense rain-battering has claimed at least 31 lives in Gujarat as receding floodwaters brought to fore tragic scenes of floating bodies, mostly in the southern districts of Valsad and Navsari, on Friday.Fifteen deaths were confirmed in Navsari, seven in Valsad, four in Kheda, two each in Amreli and Surat, and one in Anand. Most deaths were due to drowning, the relief commissioner office confirmed.After battering south Gujarat and Ahmedabad, the southwest monsoon fury turned to north Gujarat and parts of Saurashtra on Friday.Even as downpours stopped in south Gujarat, the flood situation remained grim as helicopters continued multiple sorties to airlift stranded residents, and rescue teams worked overtime to evacuate people from inundated areas.Mehemdabad in Kheda district was pounded by 507 mm in 24 hours ending 6 am Friday, the highest in the state. Between 6 am and 8 pm on Friday, Santalpur in Patan recorded the highest rainfall of 335 mm.Relief commissioner Gaurang Makwana said 38,000 people have been relocated so far, primarily from the Navsari and Valsad districts. “Most of these people have shifted to their relatives’ homes, while about 2,000 have been moved to shelter homes. A total of 352 people have been rescued so far.”In Navsari, an Indian Coast Guard helicopter airlifted 60 shrimp farm workers stranded in Mendhar village, while an Indian Army column was deployed alongside NDRF and SDRF teams to assist in rescue efforts. Rail services remained disrupted, with more than 50 trains cancelled and 25 short-terminated.In the worst-hit Valsad district, receding floodwaters uncovered the damage even as authorities intensified relief, sanitation and restoration work. Nearly 7 feet of water inundated houses, shops, and grain and oil godowns, leaving behind thick sludge and damaging stocks. Municipal teams deployed tractors and earthmovers to clear mud and remove spoiled grain and debris, while health workers launched door-to-door chlorination of drinking water to prevent disease outbreaks.The gradually receding waters exposed a trail of devastation — bridges, roads and neighbourhoods were buried under thick layers of sludge, plastic waste, uprooted vegetation and debris.Four NDRF teams, airlifted from Odisha, landed in Surat and were dispatched to Valsad and Navsari, and one was kept on standby in Surat. Two Army columns reached Valsad and Navsari, and two additional teams were dispatched in the affected districts.
