Continuous heavy rainfall lashed Surat, leaving streets waterlogged and disrupting daily life.
Insurers are bracing for claims worth nearly 5,000 crore from the recent floods in Gujarat, predominantly for property losses, though they do not foresee an increase in premiums within the competitive property insurance market.
Gujarat has reported 35 rain-related deaths in the past two days, primarily in the worst-affected districts of Valsad and Navsari, as floodwaters recede and authorities initiate damage assessment surveys and post-flood cleanliness drives.
Relentless monsoon rains have submerged roads, homes and public spaces across various cities of Gujarat bringing normal life to a standstill.
The administration has been put on high alert following the India meteorological department's (IMD) forecast of extremely heavy rainfall across several districts of Gujarat in the next two days.
The situation is likely to worsen due to high tide in the Gulf of Khambhat.
The southwest monsoon has intensified across India, bringing heavy to extremely heavy rainfall and prompting red alerts for several states, alongside concerns over landslides and urban flooding.
Water in the river Tapti has been rising steadily since Sunday after the gates of the Ukai dam built upstream on the river were thrown open due to heavy water inflow from the catchment areas.
Heavy rains and thunder returned to Mumbai, causing significant delays in local and long-distance train services, particularly affecting routes towards Gujarat and Pune. Two key reservoirs, Tulsi and Vihar lakes, have begun overflowing, though the city's overall water stock remains at 41.43 per cent.
In addition to the massive evacuation in Surat city, about 27,000 people from Vadodara district of South Gujarat has been evacuated as waters in Narmada and Vishwamitri rivers were flowing close to the danger mark.
Various parts of Surat were flooded after incessant rainfall in the region. Over 100 mm of rain has blocked roads and led to waterlogging in several low-lying areas.
The city is in garba and dandiya practice mode.
Hundreds of diamond cutting, polishing units and textile factories in Surat, considered the diamond hub of India, have been closed for the past three days due to flooding in the city, resulting in losses worth crores of rupees.
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The weather office has issued a forecast of heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places in several districts of Gujarat over the next one week.
In view of the widespread rains and 'red alert' for extremely heavy showers issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for several districts, control rooms are working round the clock to monitor the situation and help stranded people, he said.
The India meteorological department on Sunday issued an 'orange' alert for Gujarat, saying the state was expected to receive "heavy to very heavy rainfall" on July 24.
Among the cities that have fully implemented their projects are Agra, Varanasi, Madurai, Coimbatore, Udaipur, Pune, Surat, and Vadodara
'The intensity and frequency of heatwaves will be much higher than in previous years over Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.'
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was to visit flood-affected areas of Surat on Friday morning, has postponed his visit till evening due to inclement weather, officials sources said.
Rain-related incidents claimed nine more lives in Gujarat, taking the death toll to 16 in two days, while another 8,500 people were relocated and rescued from flood-affected areas with rains continuing to lash some parts of the state for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, officials said.
A total of 25 bodies have been recovered so far in different parts of the city.
Water and electricity sevices which were affected due to the week-long floods have been restored, officials said.
A four storey building in Surat, which was submerged under water, collapsed on Thursday and many people are feared trapped, an official said.
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Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs from Maharashtra have contributed Rs 51 lakh for the flood relief wok in Assam, where they have been camping since the last week, their spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The government has also set targets for the next 25 years. We are working on the target of becoming a $5-10 trillion economy as well as taking exports to a record high, he said.
Heavy waterlogging was witnessed in several towns and cities, while roads were closed in rural areas on Friday morning due a heavy spell.
Port cities across Asia -- including Kolkata, Surat, Mumbai and Chennai -- are exposed to the threats of severe flooding and superstorms
Heavy rains lashed south and east central Gujarat causing flood like situation in localities alongside rivers flowing through Valsad, Navsari and Surat districts and killing at least five persons at two places, officials said on Tuesday.
Several deaths were reported across the country due to rain-related incidents like lightning strikes and drowning.
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More than 3,000 people were stranded in various parts of Central Gujarat as gushing dam waters released by authorities, flooded large tracks of land since Saturday morning.
United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee started their one-day visit to the flood-affected regions of Gujarat on Thursday morning.
