The death toll from rain-related incidents in Gujarat has risen to 23, with Surat among the worst-hit districts after torrential monsoon rain triggered flood-like conditions, forced large-scale evacuations and disrupted normal life across south Gujarat.
Surat city, which recorded 358 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending Wednesday morning, witnessed some of the heaviest rain in its recent history, inundating residential neighbourhoods, commercial hubs and transport corridors.
Officials said more than 3,400 people were rescued and over 3,800 residents from low-lying areas were shifted to safer locations in Surat alone, while across Gujarat a total of 7,522 people were moved to relief centres and 3,711 rescued.
The situation in and around Surat remained grim even after rainfall eased, with waterlogged neighbourhoods, damaged property and sludge-filled streets continuing to hamper recovery efforts. Authorities said floodwaters had started receding in some areas, but several localities remained submerged or inaccessible.
The fatalities reported over the past few days were linked to drowning, electrocution, lightning strikes and incidents such as falling trees, as the scale of the disaster widened after waters began to recede.
The city’s worst-affected areas included Limbayat, Udhna, Varachha and Kadodara, especially localities near creek zones where water entered homes, shops and commercial complexes. Ground-floor establishments at Poddar Arcade in Varachha were submerged, while public transport, including city bus services, was severely affected.
The Surat Municipal Corporation said waterlogging was reported at 187 locations across the city. Relief teams distributed food packets, drinking water and milk in affected areas as rescue and evacuation operations continued.
Police, fire personnel and disaster response teams carried out overnight rescue operations in several inundated neighbourhoods, often using ropes, tractors and boats to reach stranded residents. Police said at least 6,100 people were shifted to safety between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning as roads turned into water channels and many interior pockets became inaccessible.
Among the most difficult rescue operations was one near Kharwasa bridge on the Dindoli-Bhatiya road, where 18 people were stranded after the approach road went under water. In Dindoli, police reached flooded slum clusters and residential societies by walking along railway tracks after roads became impassable. In Pandesara, hundreds of residents were evacuated from Bhedwad Khadi, Pandesara village and nearby housing clusters, including pregnant women, elderly residents and people requiring medical assistance.
The National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force were deployed extensively in Gujarat, with Surat receiving one of the highest concentrations of rescue teams. Statewide, 12 NDRF teams and 27 SDRF platoons were mobilised as the rain emergency spread across multiple districts.
The economic damage is expected to be significant, particularly in Surat’s textile belt. Wholesale textile markets and warehouses in areas such as Ring Road and Saroli suffered flooding that traders said damaged raw materials, machinery and finished stock.
In some markets, shop owners estimated losses running into lakhs of rupees per establishment, while larger warehousing losses are expected to run into crores. Several factories, gyms and businesses also remained shut after basements and storage areas were flooded.
Public anger has also mounted over repeated flooding in the city, with residents and traders questioning why low-lying areas continue to be inundated year after year. Many locals said this was the eighth consecutive year in which parts of Surat had faced major flood-related disruption during the monsoon.
State home minister Harsh Sanghavi said the rainfall on July 7 had created a flood-like situation in several parts of the city and described it as one of the heaviest spells Surat had experienced in recent years. He said people had worked alongside government agencies during the crisis and that NDRF, SDRF and other teams had carried out extensive evacuation and relocation work in seven to eight severely affected areas.
Sanghavi said Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had reviewed the situation in Surat and announced a Rs 500 crore project aimed at preventing creek water from entering the city in future.
Patel also held a high-level review meeting with local representatives and district officials to assess the damage in south Gujarat, including Surat, Navsari and Valsad. BJP MP Dhaval Patel said the state government had assured all necessary measures to prevent a repeat of such flooding.
For now, the immediate concern remains rehabilitation and public health. With stagnant water, sewage and sludge left behind in many neighbourhoods, officials face the twin challenge of restoring normal services and preventing outbreaks of water-borne disease, even as thousands of affected residents begin the task of cleaning up homes, shops and workplaces.
With agency inputs
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