Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed condolences over the loss of lives due to cloudbursts and heavy rains in different parts of the country and said the fury of nature has become a challenge for the entire human race, as also the country.
According to a release, under the directives of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, strict instructions have been issued to the Roads & Buildings Department, municipalities, and municipal corporations to carry out immediate repairs.
At least four people died and three others are missing after an Eco car carrying nine passengers was swept away in a river in Gujarat's Botad district, an NDRF official said on Wednesday. Two people were rescued, while search operations are still ongoing.
Eighteen people have been killed in rain-related incidents in Gujarat, with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams deployed in all the districts, an official said.
The gates of the Khambhada Dam in Botad district of Gujarat were opened on Tuesday due to a significant rise in water levels following incessant rainfall, exacerbating severe waterlogging across the region.
Amid the heavy rainfall in Gujarat for the past few days, a 34-year old home guard, identified as Devesh died after being swept away in the heavy rains. The body of a home guard soldier was retrieved by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), NDRF officials confirmed.
According to an official release from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), the repair work is going on on war footing in Vadodara-Vapi, Rajkot-Jetpur, Chiloda-Himatnagar, and other roads.
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Scientist Ramashray Yadav on Thursday forecasted that Saurashtra and Kutch are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall. A heavy rainfall warning has been issued for Jamnagar, Porbandar, Morbi, Swarka and Kutch districts.
Earlier, Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said that more than 5,000 people have been rehabilitated and over 12,000 people rescued as of Wednesday from the floods following the heavy rains that lashed the city of Vadodara.