Ahmedabad, July. 23: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in Ahmedabad was inundated on Saturday night due to incessant rains across the state for the last two days in Gujarat. Videos of passengers walking in knee-deep water have gone viral on social media.
Shared by a friend who landed at Ahmedabad airport at 10 pm. #AhmedabadRain pic.twitter.com/WsP9YpvG2z
— Kumar Manish (@kumarmanish9) July 22, 2023
Several social media users, including Congress leaders, shared videos showing the airport flooded. Airport runways and terminal areas are submerged. Due to standing water at the station, passengers are facing difficulty in reaching their flights on time. However, authorities have reportedly advised passengers to check with their airlines about their flights.
Congress national coordinator Deepak Khatri shared a video of the waterlogged road outside the Ahmedabad airport terminal. This is the situation at Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat after 28 years of BJP rule. He tweeted that this is Narendra Modi’s model state.
Another user shared a video of the terminal, saying, “This is Adani Managed Airport, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.” said. Another posted the video saying, “This was shared by a friend who landed at Ahmedabad airport at 10 pm.”
Heavy rains lashed several districts of Gujarat’s southern and Saurashtra regions on Saturday, causing flood-like conditions in urban areas. Water levels in dams and rivers are rising to dangerous levels. A National Defense Response Force (NDRF) team conducted a rescue operation in Junagadh district of the region on Saturday. In the rescue operation, NDRF personnel have evacuated people from flood and waterlogged areas to safer areas.
Red alert in Junagadh
In Junagadh, 219 mm of rain fell between 4 pm and 8 pm on Saturday. Dozens of cars and livestock were swept away by the flowing water. People have faced problems in moving to safer places. Some of them were swept away by the flood and rescued by volunteers.
Navsari and Junagadh districts have been affected due to torrential rains. Officials have requested people to take precautions. In case of any untoward incident or emergency, he was told to contact the control room. People have been warned not to visit the dam and surrounding areas.
Officials said that heavy rains caused a traffic jam on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway near Navsari due to flooding. In another incident, a father and son drowned after their car washed away in Silvassa town of Dadra and Nagar Haveli district in the union territory of Gujarat. Rescue teams found their bodies inside the vehicle on Saturday afternoon, an official said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy to very heavy rain warning with isolated very heavy rains over south Gujarat and Saurashtra-Kutch districts on Sunday. The IMD said heavy rains will continue in South Gujarat and many other districts of Saurashtra-Kutch for the next three days. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a warning to fishermen along the North Gujarat coast from July 22 to July 26.
