India: Heavy rains kill 9, thousands evacuate in Gujarat

Nine people were killed, and hundreds evacuated to safety on Wednesday as torrential rain continued to lash various parts of Gujarat state in India.

According to a statement issued by the government, 74 districts of the state have received more than 500mm of rainfall. It added that 4,238 people were relocated, and 535 were rescued from seven districts.

Alok Pandey, relief commissioner, said that rescue operations are ongoing in Dwarka and Surat, with efforts to assist affected residents and manage the crisis.

"We are receiving continuous instructions from the Chief Minister regarding the heavy rainfall. Based on the forecast from IMD, a red alert has been issued for heavy rainfall in South Gujarat. We are actively working and have rescued several individuals in Dwarka and Surat, who have been moved to safer locations," said Pandey.

Anand District is also facing severe waterlogging due to continuous rainfall. In Surat, the Veer Kavi Narmad causeway gates have been closed due to heavy upstream rainfall, and the city is experiencing significant waterlogging, disrupting normal life.

Vadodara has also seen waterlogging triggered by heavy rain. The water level of the Gira Waterfalls in Waghai has risen due to the recent heavy rains.

In Maharashtra, the Palghar Collector has announced a holiday for all the schools and colleges on Thursday after the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for the district, predicting a possibility of heavy rain.

Additionally, due to continuous rainfall in Pune on Thursday, the catchment area of Khadakwasla Dam had reached its full capacity.

The Pune administration increased the speed and released the water into the Mutha River today at 6 a.m. at the rate of 40,000 cusecs, as per information from the District Information Office.

In Mumbai, the Vihar Lake, which is one of the seven lakes supplying water to the entire city, started overflowing at 3:50 a.m. on Thursday. The full storage capacity of the Vihar Lake is 2,769.8 crore litres.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Maharashtra on Thursday and has predicted extremely heavy rainfall.