Bhuj brined by floodwaters

The salt flats of Kutch and arid climes of Saurashtra continued to soak in the incessant rain that continued in the region on Friday. Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) said Kutch, and its largest town, Bhuj, received maximum rainfall in the state in past 24 hours.

But residents of Bhuj aren’t complaining; in fact, they are celebrating the downpour that has inundated their parched land and filled their Hamirsar Lake to the brim. It is an auspicious occasion.

The chief of Bhuj Nagarpalika, as per customs, welcomed the new water in the lake with religious rites – offering megh laddoo as prasad to all city-dwellers. Such is the revelry that schools and colleges in Bhuj have culled a holiday on Saturday.

The rain, however, plunged several areas of Kutch into darkness, and about 552 people were shifted to drier locations, said officers at the district collector’s office in Bhuj.

Saurashtra, meanwhile, was comparatively dry on Friday. Rains receded from Jamnagar, Veraval, Rajkot and Porbandar, while authorities airlifted and sailed 200 people to safer locations in the region. “About 44 were airlifted and 88 others were moved to drier areas.

Three deaths were registered in Jamnagar in past 24 hours,” said Nalin Upadhyay, collector of Jamnagar district.

Rescue operations were also conducted in Porbandar, where 39 persons were moved to safer locations. “The rain has stopped, and we expect the situation to improve soon. One person is feared washed away in the water current,” said Upadhyay.

The rain fury, and the resulting floods, has claimed 200 lives in Gujarat, so far. About 24 of them have died in past three days.