Representative image VADODARA: It was almost a rerun of the deluge the city witnessed last month as heavy downpour disrupted normalcy on Sunday. Barodians were again on edge as 3 inches of rain (2-4 pm) pounded the city in two hours. Such was the fury of the rain that many areas, especially in the eastern parts, got waterlogged within an hour.
Vadodara city recorded 96 mm of rain between 6 am and 8 pm on Sunday. One of the key concerns was the rising level of the Vishwamitri river which touched 22 feet in the city areas. Residents of low-lying areas along the river were alerted and Vadodara Municipal Corporation began evacuating people in the low-lying areas.
"The water level in Vishwamitri is rising as it is receiving water from the catchment areas. The river may swell to 26 feet (danger mark) late on Sunday night," said Dr Shital Mistry, standing committee chairman, VMC. As a precaution, the civic body began evacuating people staying in the areas along Vishwamitri.
"Nearly 1,000 people will be shifted temporarily," Mistry told TOI. The civic body is also monitoring the water level in Ajwa lake which touched 213 feet. VMC has kept its rescue and relief teams on standby along with buses to shift people.
Meanwhile, traffic movement in the city was hit as the Sayajigunj underpass that connects the eastern and western parts was closed for a few hours as it got inundated. VMC commissioner Dilip Rana said, "Heavy rains are expected on Sunday night too. So, our main concern is Vish.