Thaindian News

Surat, July 23 (IANS) A ‘very rough Arabian Sea’ warning for the southern Gujarat coast during the next 24 hours by the weather office has given Surat district officials a scare and reason to worry. If high tides in the Arabian Sea hit the coast, the 2006 devastating floods which occurred here could be repeated.
The 2006 disaster claimed more than 200 lives.

The high tides in the Arabian Sea push back the river waters of Koyali and Kankra which pass through many low lying localities of Surat while raising the danger of floods.

The Indian Meteorological Department in Gujarat warned that Wednesday’s offshore ‘trough on sea level’ chart still persists from the southern Gujarat coast to Kerala’s coast as the monsoon has been active over the Arabian Sea. This has raised the threat of frequent high tides during the next 24 hours, an official of the Surat district administration said.

He said that about 30 families were shifted on Wednesday from low-lying areas of Limbayat locality in Surat which has already been flooded with knee-deep water.

The alert for a possible flood situation in the localities of Udhna, Varachhha, Pandesara and Puna Gam, which were worst affected during the 2006 floods, has caused the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the district administration officials to start evacuating residents of the vulnerable areas immediately.

The high tides have unpredictable ways of causing floods during the monsoon, particularly in the low-lying areas of Surat city, an official stated.

The fire brigade personnel of the SMC have been put on high alert to deal with any eventuality as more families are expected to be evacuated Thursday from the city’s low-lying areas.