Following heavy rain,

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

state of India was affected by the flood in July 2015. The flood resulted in at least 72 deaths.

Background

The monsoon in Gujarat typically start in mid-June every year. Following deep depression in

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

, there was heavy rain in the June 2015 which resulted in flood in the state. The deep depression over south-west Rajasthan and adjoining Gujarat resulted in heavy rain across

north Gujarat North Gujarat (), the Northern part of Indian state of Gujarat includes the districts of Gandhinagar, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mehsana, and Patan. North Gujarat is dominant in the dairy industry. Currently, the water table of th ...

and southern parts of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

Flood

At least 72 people died in the flood; 40 in Banaskantha district, 6 in Patan district, 4 in Kutch district and others in other parts of the state. Over 81609 cattle died in three districts; Banaskantha, Patan and Kutch. It included 42609 were large cattle like cows and buffaloes, while 38871 were small cattle, such as goats and sheep. The property worth ₹ 2000 crore was completely damaged or washed away as per government estimate. The crops in about 2 lakh hectares failed. In three days, all talukas of Kutch and Banaskantha district recorded over 100 per cent of annual average rainfall. Some areas, like Suigam, recorded 510 per cent of the total annual average rainfall. In Mehsana district, as many as 585 villages lost the electricity supply. Several dams across Gujarat were flooded.

Relief and rescue

Rescue Operations by Indian Air Force in July 2015 Gujarat Flood 3

Total 14 districts of the state and a population of about 4 million were affected. The electricity supply was restored to more than 700 villages in four days. Three helicopter from Indian Air Force (IAF) and

Border Security Force The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on 1 December 1 ...

(BSF) were deployed for relief and rescue. A total of 28 relief teams, seven medical teams and seven Engineer Task Forces of the army was deployed. The 17 teams comprising 510

National Disaster Response Force The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is an Indian specialized force constituted "for the purpose of special response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster" under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The "Apex Body for Disaster M ...

and 180 BSF personnel were engaged in the relief and rescue. The seven columns of

indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

and 5 companies of State Reserve Police Force was deployed in affected areas. The army rescued more than 1000 people. The army engineer task forces restored railway line connecting

Jodhpur Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the ...

and

Bhuj Bhuj () is a Municipality and District Headquarters of Kutch District in the state of Gujarat, India. Etymology According to legend, Kutch was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to Kin ...

which had a daily traffic of 12 passenger and 45 goods trains. The line was damaged between Dhanera and Ramsan due to soil erosion. 2.5 lakh cusecs of water was released into the Sabarmati river from the Dharoi dam due to income of large amount of water. More than 1500 people were evacuated living near Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad and adjoining districts. The Government of Gujarat announced the relief package. The compensation for soil erosion was declared 25000 per hectare for small farmers while 50000 for farmers having land more than two hectares. The maximal assistance was set at 60000. For soil restoration, the government provided 5% interest subsidy for 1 lakh for small farmers and 2 lakh for big farmers. For crop damage, the assistance of 13600 for minor crop and 18000 for major crop up to one hectare land while for horticulture and banana, the assistance of 18000 up to one hectare land was announced. For cattle deaths, the assistance of 1,80,000 for death of five cows or buffalo was announced. The small traders were assisted with 10000 and shopowners with 35000. For household damage, 7000 were given as an assistance.

References

{{Disasters in India in 2015 History of Gujarat (1947–present) 2015 floods in Asia

Banaskantha district July 2015 events in India 2015 Gujarat Floods in Gujarat