Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has instructed the officials to evacuate people living in low-lying areas of southern Gujarat after the region witnessed heavy rains for the last few days.

An official said that people living in the southern districts of Valsad, Tapi, Navsari, Surat, Narmada, and Panchmahal - which have witnessed severe rainfall -have been asked to evacuate to safer areas.

He said that the CM discussed the situation with the district collectors of the rain-affected regions and directed the officials to evacuate people of these areas immediately.

“The CM was informed about the problems faced by the people and instructed to ensure residents’ safety living in low-lying areas. He also emphasised relocating vulnerable populations to safer locations and safeguarding lives and livestock,” the official said.

He has also assured that, if necessary, assistance from State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams would be sought for the affected areas.

State Emergency Operation Center said that Sagbara Taluka in Narmada district received the highest rainfall today, with 64 mm recorded between 6 am and 8 am while for the past 24 hours, Vapi in Valsad district recorded the highest overall rain of 326 mm.

Kaprada and Pardi talukas also saw over 12 inches of rain, leading to waterlogging and rising river levels, which disrupted daily life in these areas.

In Surat, Umarpada received 280 mm, Khergam recorded 268 mm, and Dharampur saw 226 mm of rainfall during the same period.

Due to extremely heavy rainfall, approximately 288 roads in the state have been rendered impassable. Valsad district has been the most affected, with 128 roads being closed due to waterlogging.

Following Valsad, 34 roads in Navsari, 25 in Surat, and 41 in Tapi have also seen transportation services halted.

In Dang, 16 roads and in Narmada, 8 roads have been closed, while 11 roads in Chhotaudepur and 6 in Porbandar have been shut down.

Even 7 state highways across Gujarat have seen vehicular movement come to a standstill.

The IMD has also issued an orange alert until August 28 in Gujarat and also issued a red alert for Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Bhavnagar.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also warned of heavy to hefty rainfall, with some areas expected to experience hefty downpours over the next 24 hours.

An orange alert has been issued for Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Gandhinagar, Aravalli, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Anand, Panchmahal, Dahod, Mahisagar, Vadodara, Chhotaudepur, Narmada, Bharuch, Dang, Tapi, Surendranagar, Amreli, and Botad.

The IMD has said that these areas are also likely to receive heavy to hefty rain.

(With inputs from syndicated feed)