Heavy rainfall batters Vadodara, operations are halted at airport, trains diverted

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Vadodara (Gujarat): In the backdrop of heavy rainfall pounding Vadodara, operations are halted at Vadodara Airport till 9 am on Friday. Heavy rainfall has thrown life out of gear in Vadodara.

“Homes get flooded as record-breaking #Vadodara rains of 554 mm in 12 hours disrupt normal life,” tweeted SkymetWeather. Meanwhile, as torrential rains lashed Vadodara and nearby areas creating a flood-like situation, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held a high-level meeting on Wednesday to review the situation in the city and deputed two IAS officers to provide guidance to the local administration.

The Chief Minister also appealed citizens to shift from low lying areas to safer places, a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office read. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed to shift people from low lying areas to safer locations. All schools and colleges have been ordered to remain shut on August 1. Vadodara railway station has been shut down

Vadodara city in central Gujarat received a staggering 442 mm of rainfall in just 12 hours on Wednesday, forcing shut-down of airport, cancellation of a few trains and leading to heavy water- logging. Schools in the city will remain closed on Thursday. Rains also lashed other parts of the state including Ahmedabad city and central Gujarat.

The state government asked the local administration to shift people from low-lying areas in Vadodara if needed as water entered into houses in several localities. The Vadodara airport on the outskirts of the city was temporarily shut down and two domestic flights were cancelled, airport authorities said. Western Railways said some trains passing through the city were either cancelled or diverted due to “heavy water- logging”.

Between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm, Vadodara received 442 mm of rainfall, the highest in Gujarat on Wednesday, said a release by the state government. Of this, 286 mm of rain fell in just four hours ending at 8.00 pm, said the release. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani called a meeting in the evening to review the situation in Vadodara, and asked IAS officers Vinod Rao and Lochan Sehra to rush to the city to provide guidance to the local administration in tackling the situation, it added.

The chief minister urged people in low-lying areas to cooperate with district administration during evacuation. Authorities have asked all the schools in Vadodara city to remain closed on August 1. Elsewhere, the city of Ahmedabad recorded 58 mm rainfall on Wednesday. Dabhoi town in Vadodara district received 152 mm rain, Halol in Panchmahal district received 143 mm, followed by Karjan in Vadodara district (137 mm), Waghodiya in Vadodara (124 mm), Umarpada in Surat (118 mm) and Sankheda in Chhotaudepur district (117 mm). As per the latest forecast by the IMD, several parts of Gujarat, including Saurashtra, would receive “heavy to very heavy rains” during the next two days.