Gujarat’s Bharuch flooded after rising Narmada river water levels
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Bharuch: Heavy rain has been lashing Gujarat with the situation in Bharuch district becoming more challenging and leading to several road closures, including the Narmada bridge.
The district administration declared the closure of the Narmada bridge over the river Narmada due to severe waterlogging on Monday.
Commuters have been advised by the district collector's office to use National Highway 48 for travel between Bharuch and Ankleshwar.
The administration in the Narmada district ordered the closure of schools and colleges on September 18 due to flooding in many villages following the release of water from the Narmada Dam.
The situation remains grim as ten major dams, including Ukai, Damanganga, Kadana, and Bhadar, are nearing their overflowing marks.
The Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSD), which is popularly known as Narmada Dam, reached its full reservoir level of 138.68 meters. The release of water has exacerbated flooding in low-lying areas of the Narmada district.
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A day after the state government opened the floodgates of the Sardar Sarovar dam, the Opposition Congress said the BJP government refused to release the dam’s waters when farmers needed it but, instead, stored it so that the reservoir overflowed on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on September 17.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also raised similar allegations.
Congress, calling it a “man-made disaster”, alleged that this eventually forced the government to release a large volume of water from the dam on Sunday, causing a flood in downstream Bharuch district and resultant “large-scale damage” affecting “lakhs of people”.
Pal Ambaliya, chairman of the Gujarat Kisan Congress, the farmers’ wing of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC), alleged that the largest reservoir of Sardar Sarovar, was “made to overflow”.
“When there is heavy rainfall in low-lying areas of the Narmada river, they opened 23 gates of the Narmada dam to please Modi and created a grim situation of flood downstream. Lakhs of people are battling the flood… Has the dam been constructed only to celebrate Narendra Modi’s birthday?” asked the Congress leader.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been carrying out the rescue operations and has helped to save nearly 105 people.
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In Ankleshwar, additional road closures have been announced, including the closure of Amratpura approach road, the Juna Chhapra - Juna Kasiya NH road, and the Ankleshwar Dudhiya mandir to Old NH road.
Furthermore, three other roads have been declared shut: Umalla - Asha - Panetha road, Bharuch - Shuklatirth - Zanor road and Tothidara - Tarsali road.
The NDRF has been actively involved in rescue efforts, saving several people stranded in low-lying areas of Bharuch district, specifically in Nikora Village.
The collaborative operation between NDRF and civil administration relocated the stranded individuals to safety.
Gujarat has already received nearly 90.8 per cent of its average annual rainfall with Kutch and Saurashtra recording 137 per cent and 111 per cent rainfall, respectively.
The regions of south, east-central, and north Gujarat have reported 85 per cent, 83 per cent, and 76 per cent of their average rainfall, as per data from the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
