Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Friday reviewed flood relief and rescue operations in Valsad after unprecedented rainfall inundated large parts of the district, directing officials to accelerate cleaning efforts, organise health camps and ensure immediate distribution of relief to affected residents as floodwaters recede.
Sanghavi reached Valsad late on Thursday night under the directions of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and held a review meeting at the District Collector's Office to assess the district administration's response to the flooding and the prevailing situation.
State Finance, Urban Development and Urban Housing Minister Kanu Desai also attended the meeting.
District Collector Nitin Sangwan informed the Deputy Chief Minister that Umargam received 1,064 mm (42.56 inches) of rainfall in a single day on Thursday, the highest ever recorded there in a day, while Kaprada taluka recorded the season's highest rainfall of 2,566 mm (102.64 inches).
Heavy rainfall, coupled with the release of water from the Madhuban Dam, caused rivers to overflow, leading to widespread flooding in low-lying areas across the district.
The Collector said the district administration evacuated 12,376 people to safer locations in a single day.
Congratulating the administration, Sanghavi said the operation had been carried out without any major accident or loss of life.
"Team Valsad has successfully carried out the challenging task of rescuing and safely evacuating all affected people without any major mishap or even a single death," he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the administration's next priority should be restoring normalcy in flood-hit areas through extensive sanitation measures and public health interventions.
"The biggest and most important task after the floodwaters recede will be cleaning operations and taking care of the health of every citizen," he said, directing officials to deploy adequate manpower, JCB machines, trucks and other equipment to carry out the work on a war footing.
He instructed municipal authorities to appoint additional temporary sanitation workers where required, remove accumulated mud and waste from affected localities, intensify cleaning operations in Umargam and ensure door-to-door garbage collection.
He also directed officials to organise health check-up camps in severely affected areas and dispose of damaged household belongings and spoiled foodgrains in a scientific manner to prevent the outbreak of diseases.
Sanghavi further instructed the administration to immediately arrange the distribution of cash doles and ration kits to flood-affected families, stressing that no resident, including those living in remote villages, should be deprived of assistance.
"Around 17 senior state government officers had been deployed in Valsad to support restoration efforts and expressed confidence that the district would recover swiftly in the coming days," he noted.
He also advised officials to hold discussions with insurance companies to facilitate the early settlement of claims filed by traders and shopkeepers whose businesses suffered losses in the floods.
During his visit, Sanghavi also met passengers stranded at Valsad railway station after train services were disrupted by heavy rain.
He interacted with passengers and spoke with the Station Master, who informed him that the railway line towards Mumbai had resumed operations.
Valsad MP Dhaval Patel told him that food packets had been distributed to stranded passengers.
The Deputy Chief Minister later visited Chhipwad and the bridge over the Auranga River to inspect the water flow and review the flood situation on the ground.
© 2026 IANS. All rights reserved.