Bharuch and Ankleshwar Battle Devastating Floods as Narmada River Swells, Surat on edge

Bharuch/Surat : The Narmada River breached its banks, inundating houses and creating widespread pandemonium in the cities of Bharuch and Ankleshwar and their neighbouring regions, triggering a disastrous flood. This destruction was caused by the discharge of an astounding 6 lakh cusecs of water from the Sardar Sarovar Dam on Sunday evening, which displaced tens of thousands of people and shook the region’s infrastructure.

Authorities jumped into action quickly in an effort to avert the looming calamity, evacuating tens of thousands of inhabitants from low-lying regions in Ankleshwar and Bharuch.

The Narmada River rose to terrifying heights as flooding invaded their houses, exceeding the 41-foot threshold at the Narmada Maiya Bridge, leaving both the famous Golden Bridge and the Narmada Maiya Bridge inaccessible.

Vehicle travel over these key linkages has been banned indefinitely, with commuters being redirected through the cable bridge on National Highway 8, which connects the towns of Ankleshwar and Bharuch.

To make matters worse, train travel between Mumbai and Ahmedabad was halted owing to the shutdown of the railway bridge linking Ankleshwar and Narmada. The river’s water level rose to a frightening 41 feet, leading officials to halt rail services between Bharuch and Ahmedabad, as well as Ankleshwar and Mumbai. Concurrently, torrential rains and floods in Madhya Pradesh caused the closure of the railway line in Godhra, exacerbating the transportation chaos.

Following the torrential rains in Madhya Pradesh and the Narmada district, multiple residential societies in the low-lying areas of Ankleshwar and Bharuch were flooded by 10-15 feet of water. floods overtook several communities along the Ankleshwar-Hansot state highway, forcing inhabitants to seek safety on their terraces as floods swamped their houses up to the first level.

Ankleshwar’s Hansot Road and Diva Road residential societies and flats suffered the brunt of the floods, with water levels reaching a remarkable 15 to 20 feet. Residents experienced significant financial losses as the downpour rushed through their houses, washing away furniture and personal possessions. Many others were forced to seek refuge on their rooftops as they saw their belongings go under the unrelenting waves.

The flood waters swamped the majority of the residential societies along the Ankleshwar-Hansot route, including Ram Vatika and Modi Nagar.

In the midst of the chaos, Bharuch District Collector Tushar Sumera said, “The water level in Narmada is receding fast.” The NDRF crew has arrived in the impacted regions. In general, the situation in Bharuch and Ankleshwar is under control. People in the impacted regions are being provided with food and water. There have been no injuries, and no rescue activities have been launched. Approximately 3,000 people are now housed in shelters.”

SURAT ON THE EDGE

Surat is on the verge of flooding as 3.99 lakh cusecs of water are discharged from the Ukai reservoir on Monday, with the Singanpore weir-cum-causeway flowing at 10.95 metres. Residents have flocked to the bridges and river embankments to see the Tapi river spilling bank to bank due to the large discharge of water from Ukai reservoir. According to Ukai Dam officials, the dam’s rule level is 345 feet, while the present level is 343.57 feet. The dam is receiving 2.45 million cubic feet of water every second, and the officials are constantly releasing water to maintain the water level below 345 feet. The reservoir’s current storage capacity is 6745.28 MCM (96.22%). The authorities are keeping a close vigil on the development and are in constant touch with the Ukai Dam authorities on the water situation in the catchment areas in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The residents in the low-lying areas have been asked to remain alerted as the water levels in the Tapi river have swelled since Monday morning.