Over 1,000 Rescued in 48 Hours from Flooded Industrial Zone in Gujarat
In one of the largest flood relief operations in the region, more than 1,000 people were rescued over a 48-hour period from the severely flooded industrial corridor on the Sarkhej-Bavla road by Saturday. The Ahmedabad district police rescued over 900 workers and their families trapped in Gallops Industrial Park in Changodar, about 20 km from Ahmedabad. The Army’s Golden Katar Division rescued 82 people who had been trapped for over 40 hours in an Amazon warehouse and adjoining buildings at Rajoda village in Bavla taluka.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams rescued six people from Nesda, 63 from Betawada, and nine from Kalikund. These villages are north of Dholka town.
Speaking on the impact of flooding in industrial areas, Superintendent of Police, Ahmedabad Rural, Om Prakash Jat said, “The Maruti plant has been affected due to the closure of the highway. However, since it was partially opened, operations have resumed there. The plants at Gallops Industrial Park are all closed because of waterlogging.”
Leading the operation at Gallops park that ended Saturday evening was Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Neelam Goswami. Apart from boats and military trucks, a requisitioned tractor was used in the rescue because it could wade through several feet of floodwater with dozens of people on top.
Gallops Industrial Park is situated between Sanathal Chowkdi and Bagodara toll plaza on National Highway 47, the main road connecting Central Gujarat to Rajkot in Saurashtra. Even on Saturday, the highway was under at least three feet of water after two days of rain left rural Ahmedabad flooded and impassable for heavy vehicles.
By 6 pm, over 800 people had been evacuated from the industrial zone. Another 100 were rescued by 8 pm. About 60 police personnel, and one platoon each of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Golden Katar Division of the Southern Army Command and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), were engaged in the rescue and relief operation.
Meanwhile, about 30 km to the south, the outskirts of Dholka town and its neighbouring villages were also under floodwater, which was 6-7 feet in some places. The main mode of transportation there was also tractors, 15 of which were requisitioned from paddy farmers. “We requisitioned 15 tractors from locals. We use them for patrolling, rescuing people, managing traffic and distributing aid — they are an all-purpose vehicle,” said DySP Prakash Prajapati. “Air filters of tractors are in the front. We turn them upwards so that water doesn’t get into them in the middle of an operation.”
SP Om Prakash Jat said the tractors used in paddy fields had modified tyres that allow them to get better grip on muddy soil. However, their owners declined to accompany rescue officials due to the danger of getting stranded. In response, the police sent their officials with each vehicle to assure people of help if they were stranded.
The officials said the situation in Dholka was stable on Saturday, but water was receding slowly. Villages along the Sabarmati banks could face further problems if more water was released from upstream Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, more people now wanted to be evacuated from the flooded areas. DySP Prajapati said, “On the first and second day (July 23 & 25), people refused to evacuate even when the downpour caused waterlogging in villages around Dholka. Many were afraid to abandon their home. But today (July 25), people are tired since the water levels are not going down. They wanted to be evacuated.” Till Saturday evening, more than 400 people had been evacuated in Dholka; many were taken to the Swaminarayan temple.
