Gujarat dams swell, roads crumble, villages plunged into darkness

WIDESPREAD monsoon rains continued to batter Gujarat, submerging many areas, disrupting power supply and pushing up dam levels.

- DILIP SINGH KSHATRIYA @ Ahmedabad

Nine dams have reached full capacity while 15 others have been placed on high alert due to dangerously rising water levels.

Fearing flood risks, authorities have shifted over 1,060 people to safer locations as a precautionary measure. Among the worst-hit were South Gujarat's Ahwa block in Dang district with 250 mm rainfall and Kaprada in Valsad with 241 mm. The state saw heavy rainfall on June 16, 17 and 18, which claimed the lives of seven members of a family in Botad. The government has deployed 33 teams, including 13 from NDRF and 20 from SDRF, to tackle emergencies, officials said.