Odisha, Rajasthan lashed by heavy rainfall as Vadodara recovers from flooding

Rainwater flooded parts of Odisha and Rajasthan after a heavy downpour in the two states, while Gujarat’s rain-hit Vadodara limped back to normalcy as the swollen Vishwamitri river’s ferocity started waning on Friday.

Over 5,700 people were moved out of the central Gujarat city and neighbouring areas due to flooding from the river which often dries up in summer, leaving only a stream of water behind.

The state officials said six people have died in rain-related incidents in the city, the third-largest in the state after Ahmedabad and Surat. Many areas are still submerged after a burst of nearly 500mm of rainfall in 24 hours.

Floodwaters brought with them seven mid-sized crocodiles to residential areas of Vadodara but the reptiles were captured by forest department officials over two days. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said in a tweet that Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the flood situation in the state with him on telephone and assured Central help.

In Odisha, rainwater submerged low-lying areas and snapped road connectivity in Malkangiri district. Because of a flood-like situation, the district administration has ordered schools to remain shut for two days. Malkangiri has received an average of 115.86 mm rains in past 24 hours, an official said in Bhubaneswar.

Apart from Malkangiri, districts like Nabarangpur, Rayagada and Koraput were also lashed by heavy rainfall.

The flood situation Assam remain unchanged. But two more people were reported dead in state, pushing the death toll to 88. A population of 1,65,763 in 12 districts of the state are affected by floods, an Assam State Disaster Management Authority bulletin said. The water level in most rivers has started receding.

The Met office predicted that Delhi will continue to receive light-to-moderate rainfall for three-four days as the axis of the monsoon trough has shifted further north. The national capital has not witnessed a single spell of heavy rainfall this season. Though the IMD had issued an alert for intense showers on July 25 and 26, vast stretches of the city remained dry.

Another prediction of heavy rainfall at isolated places in the city on August 1 went the opposite way.

Still, no district in Rajasthan has seen “scant” rainfall so far, the state water resources department said on Friday.

Ten districts of the desert state have recorded “excess” rainfall this monsoon season, 14 districts have witnessed “normal” and seven have “deficit” rainfall.

Of the total 810 dams in the state, 31 are fully filled and 398 are partially, while 381 are empty, officials said. Ajmer recorded a maximum of 114.2 mm rainfall till Friday morning.

The weather department predicted heavy rainfall in parts of east Rajasthan.

It has predicted intense rainfall in Mumbai on Saturday and Sunday due to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal. Warnings for inclement weather were issued for areas along the west coast, a senior IMD official said in Mumbai.

In Himachal Pradesh, the government asked all district-level administrators to be on high alert for heavy rainfall in parts of the state till August 8. It also issued a the least dangerous “yellow” warning for heavy downpour for Sunday and Monday.

Light-to-heavy rains have been lashing parts of the state. Una district has received the highest 230.2mm rainfall since Thursday evening, the Met office said in Shimla.