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Cars and other vehicles were floating like toys and hundreds of people were stranded due to floods caused by heavy rains that submerged the city of Junagadh in Gujarat state on Saturday. As videos and pictures of the situation in Junagadh started appearing on TV channels and social media, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who was in Rajkot, canceled his scheduled events and tried to reach Junagadh.
The torrents of flood waters flowing through the city of Junagadh made the roads look like swollen streams, sweeping away cars, bicycles and livestock. Nine inches of rain hit Junagadh between 10 am and 4 pm on Saturday. Authorities pressed JCB excavators into rescue operations as the city’s roads were flooded.
We rescued about 200-300 people from the low-lying areas even though there was flooding all over the city due to heavy rains swelling the rivers Calvo and Sonrach. Ramesh Tanna, Bhavnagar Municipal Commissioner, told the Indian Express:
flash floods in #junagadhAnd #Raids Washing livestock and vehicles and damaging homes#IMD Issue a red alert.#rain #Rainfall # Tales #Flood #Signal lights # dogs pic.twitter.com/4q5Rwt0OW8
– The Indian Express (IndianExpress) July 22, 2023
An alleged video from Rajlakshmi Park in Junagadh showed a man fighting for his life trying to cling to a floating car while another video showed a herd of buffalo being swept away by flood waters in Motibug district. In Daulatpara district on the northern outskirts of Junagadh, people were stranded on the Junagadh-Rajkot highway as a large portion of the highway was inundated by floods.
Anil Ranavasya, Junagadh collector and Junagadh district superintendent of police, Ravi Teja Vasamsity, made strong pleas for people to stay indoors, saying most parts of the city were flooded. It has been raining heavily since this morning in Junagadh city and Junagadh district (countryside), which has led to flooding in most of the district and communities. I seriously ask you not to go out of your homes unless it is unavoidable and to cooperate with us. “If you’re in distress, call our control room,” Ranaavasya said in a video message.
The torrents of flood waters flowing through the city of Junagadh made the roads look like swollen streams, sweeping away cars, bicycles and livestock. (Quick photo by Chirag Chautalia)
Unrest began in the afternoon as flood waters in rivers originating from the hills of Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Junagadh city started to swell after heavy rains that started around 10 am. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the city recorded about 3.5 inches of rain. However, the intensity of the rain increased dramatically after that, and the city and surrounding areas experienced more than five inches of rain between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
“There is a downhill from Jirnar mountain to Junagadh, and rivers and streams coming from Jirnar pass through the city of Junagadh. The rain on Jirnar mountain as well as in the city has caused problems,” Municipal Commissioner Tanna said, adding that there were no reports of any casualties until the evening.
With the flood situation turning grim, CM Bhupendra Patel, who was in Rajkot to attend a series of events and review preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Rajkot Friday, has canceled his events in Rajkot today.
People are being rescued from low areas. (Quick photo by Chirag Chautalia)
The Honorable Chief Minister wanted to travel to Junagadh to assess the situation and lead the government’s response to the floods. However, due to the bad weather there, he was advised not to travel to Junagadh as his helicopter might not be able to land there. The highway leading into the city was also flooded. Therefore, he is currently in Rajkot even as other options are being explored to reach Junagadh,” a senior government official told Indian Express around 6 pm.
Since the CM could not reach Junagadh, he checked the situation by seeking updates from the Junagadh district administration officers while he was in Rajkot, according to an official statement.
The floods in Junagadh come less than 24 hours after Patil arrived in Junagadh on Friday afternoon and conducted aerial survey of the flood affected areas of Kechod, Manavadar and Vanthali talukas of Junagadh in western parts of the district as well as parts of neighboring Gir Somnath districts.
Nine inches of rain hit Junagadh between 10 am and 4 pm on Saturday. (Quick photo by Chirag Chautalia)
The famous Scarbaug Zoo, among the oldest in the country, has also faced the ferocity of the floods, officers said, but no untoward incident involving captive animals has been reported there. “Some low-lying areas of the park were flooded as the park is located right on the bank of the Sonakh River. Some stretches of the park’s perimeter wall and fence have collapsed. However, no untoward incident involving animals has been reported in the park. As a precautionary measure, we have moved the carnivores in their enclosures,” said Aradhna Sahu, Chief Forest Conservation Officer of Junagadh Wildlife Department.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday that fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea for the next five days until July 26.
India’s National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has also issued a “high wave alert” for a portion of Gujarat’s coast stretching from Jahau in Kutch to Diu near Saurashtra district. “High waves in the range of 3.5-4 meters are expected from 5:30 pm on July 21 to 11:30 pm on July 23 along the coast from Jakhau to Diu on the Gujarat coast. (Sea) current velocities are between 61-123 cubic meters per second,” the forecast reads.
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