Ukai water level crosses 300 ft

The water level in Ukai dam crossed the 300-feet mark on Thursday evening. According to officials in flood control department, water level in the dam increased from 297 feet on Wednesday to 300.16 feet at 6.00 pm on Thursday.

This was primarily due to continuous rainfall in Ukai's catchment areas in MP and Maharashtra, resulting in heavy inflow in the dam.

The rise in the dam's water level has come as a major relief for the administration. The delayed start to monsoon had given rise to fears that Ukai might remain unfilled by the end of the season, which could have lead to serious water shortage in the coming summer season.

However, steady increase in the dam's water level over the last few days has eased the concerns. The danger level of the dam is 345 feet. Officials said that 1.03 lakh cusecs of water was flowing into the dam at 4.00 pm on Thursday. However, the inflow fell to around 31,300 cusec at 6.00 pm.

According to officials, Surat city received nil rainfall on Thursday. With other places in South Gujarat region also receiving only light to medium rainfall, water level of various rivulets in the city also came down, easing concerns of flooding in Limbayat, Azadnagar, Udhna and other areas.

No untoward incident was reported from Surat, but officials said that one Chhana Halpati, drowned in Khatalwada village of Valsad, while three houses were washed away in Umargam.