Rains cause extensive damage to standing crop, claim 49 lives in Gujarat

Heavy rainfall in Gujarat causes floods, damages crops, roads, and infrastructure, leading to 49 deaths and extensive rescue operations.

Heavy downpours in Gujarat since the last week of August have caused massive damage to standing crops and claimed 49 lives. Crops were affected in Kutch, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Junagadh, and several other districts that have been flooded for days.

As many as 49 people have died in rain related incidents over the last 10 days, across the State and the floods have damaged roads and other infrastructure facilities.

In Vadodara and other places, exceptionally heavy rainfall caused extensive floods that severely affected households. Traders, shopkeepers, and businesses have also suffered heavy damage.

“As of Wednesday, the state has witnessed almost 118% of the season’s rainfall, and more is expected in the next few days. Among the provinces that received the highest rainfall is Kutch, which recorded more than 180% of the rainfall, while North Gujarat received the lowest rainfall, around 94%,” a statement by the State Government said. 

Since August 25, the rainfall has caused floods that have damaged roads, cut off villages, and residential areas, requiring the rescue of over 37,000 people by multiple agencies, including the NDRF and Army.

A deep depression has caused heavy to very heavy rainfall in several areas of Gujarat since August 25th. The depression, which formed over the Gujarat-Rajasthan border, gradually moved into the Arabian Sea (which later turned into the cyclonic storm Asna), said State Relief Commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey.

According to him, during this period, 49 people died in rain-related incidents, such as lightning strikes, wall collapses, and drowning.