Vadodara remains flooded despite brief respite from rain

Several parts of the central Gujarat city of Vadodara continue to remain submerged under waist-deep water after Wednesday's heavy rains that threw life and vehicular traffic out of gear.

Vadodara continues to remain flooded despite the fact that it has not rained in more than six hours on Thursday morning. On Wednesday, Vadodara had received 18 inches of rainfall in just six hours, breaking the records of the last several years.

The Ajwa reservoir, near the city, has overflown and, as a result, the water has been released in river Vishwamitri flowing in the city. The overflowing of Vishwamitri is one of the key reasons of the flooding.

Reports indicate that it is impossible to reach Pipaliya village of Vadodara. Thirteen villages in Vadodara have been put on alert.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani took stock of the situation late on Wednesday night. On Thursday morning, three NDRF teams reached the Banyan City for rescue operations.

Wednesday's rainfall in Vadodara has resulted in six deaths, with four persons dying in a wall collapse in Bajwa area.

Schools, colleges and courts have been shut on Thursday and so are courts. All the six bridges of Vadodara are closed for vehicular traffic.

As many as 24 trains coming and going out of Vadodara have been cancelled. The Vadodara Airport remains shut with water entering the runway. News agency ANI reported operations have been halted at Vadodara Airport till 3pm on Thursday, due to waterlogging and garbage accumulation on the runway.

The let-up in the rainfall on Thursday morning is unlikely to give much respite to the residents of Vadodara as there is a forecast of heavy rainfall across the state.

Four hundred heavy-duty pumps are being pressed into service on Thursday to pump out water from the affected areas.