Ahmedabad: In the last week of August, severe rains in Gujarat resulted in 49 fatalities, extensive road damage, and widespread flooding. Over 37,000 people were rescued by various agencies including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army. The heavy rainfall, caused by a deep depression that formed over the Gujarat-Rajasthan border and later evolved into Cyclone Asna, occurred from August 25 to 30.

The torrential rains led to numerous incidents such as lightning strikes, building collapses, and drownings. State Relief Commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey reported that families of 22 victims have received Rs 4 lakh each in compensation, and Rs 1.78 crore has been allocated to compensate for the loss of 2,618 livestock.

Gujarat has received 108% of its average annual rainfall, prompting a large-scale rescue operation. In response, 17 NDRF teams, 27 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams, nine Army columns, and additional teams from the Air Force and Coast Guard were deployed. These teams have successfully rescued 37,050 people, relocated 42,083 to safer places, and airlifted 53 individuals.

Damage assessments are ongoing across rain-affected districts to evaluate the impact on homes and infrastructure. So far, Rs 3.67 crore has been distributed to owners of 4,673 damaged houses and huts. District administrations are working to provide additional assistance for household losses and emergency cash relief as details become available.

The ongoing survey, conducted by 1,120 teams, covers areas including Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Anand, Kutch, Kheda, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Narmada, Navsari, Porbandar, Morbi, and Valsad. To date, Rs 8.04 crore has been given as cash relief to over 1.69 lakh people, with a total of Rs 20.07 crore allocated for household and clothing aid to 50,111 affected families.

Heavy rains have damaged approximately 2,230 kilometers of roads, which are expected to be repaired within ten days. Power outages impacted 6,931 villages and 17 cities; electricity has been restored to 6,927 villages and all 17 cities, with efforts continuing to address remaining outages.

The weather office has forecast more heavy rains in various districts over the coming week. The Kutch region has received the highest rainfall this season at 179% of the average, while Saurashtra and south Gujarat have seen 125% and 117% of their average annual precipitation, respectively.

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