Odisha, Rajasthan See Heavy Rain As Vadodara Recovers From Floods

NEW DELHI: 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.

Ten districts of Rajasthan have recorded "excess" rainfall this monsoon season, 14 districts have witnessed "normal" and seven have "deficit" rainfall, the state water resources department said on Friday.

No district of the desert-state saw "scanty" rainfall so far, it added.

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.