Saurashtra was flooded since rainwater could not drain
THE state highway between Viramgam and Surendranagar towns in Gujarat presents a stark contrast. On one side is a carpet of green fields for miles, and on the other, decaying jowar and cotton crops, at places submerged in water. The 60 km highway itself remained under water for three days in mid-September.
The contrast makes clear the nature of floods in Gujarat. There are no rivers near inundated areas. After Surat floods in 2006, this is the second time that a major flood has happened in the state due to blocking of drainage paths. Most affected areas are in the peninsular Saurashtra region. In two days, September 17-18, it rained as much in Surendranagar district as it rains in a year there. "It rained more than 40 inches in 30 hours, leading to flooding. There was no time for water to recede," said J D Bhad, collector of Surendranagar.
The damage was heavy.Over a hundred thousand hectares of agricultural land was damaged by water-logging. About two thousand houses have collapsed completely and 13,000 others are partially damaged. Yudhveer Jadhav, an elder member of Adalsar village in Surendranagar, estimates that in his Lakhtar taluka, cotton crops worth Rs 40 crore have been damaged.
Jadhav's family itself had sown cotton in 4 hectares (ha). "We invested whatever we could in the crop and were waiting for it to grow," he said. But then came floods. About 70 per cent of the crops and 20 per cent land in Adalsar are ruined. Jadhav has calmly accepted his fate. "It is a natural disaster, one cannot call it the fault of the government," he said. But he does agree that had it not been for the raised highways and canals of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Project, the damage could have been lesser.
In nearby Limbadi taluka, Kantibhai Bhatana also lost half his crops. "Two acres (a little less than a hectare) of my land near the road is completely damaged and it will take years before anything grows on it. The sand and rocks that came with water will have to be removed manually and new soil will have to be spread," he said. The contrast was visible here as well. The crop in his field across the road, connecting Surendranagar town and Limbadi, was standing tall and healthy. "The rainfall did not affect that side much because the water receded quickly. On this side the water was blocked by the road," he said.
Survey for compensation would take "some time", said Bhad.
On the edge of Saurashtra in Little Rann of Kutch, salt workers called Agariyas were stuck in more than seven feet of water. Their newly installed machinery for salt production was submerged.
The Rann is a low-lying area that remains submerged for four months till August. In September the Agariyas migrate to the Little Rann of Kutch to produce salt. "The problem aggravated because there are no raised areas in the Rann where they could take refuge," said Bharat Patel, who works with Agariya Hitrakshak Manch, an advocacy group for the rights of salt workers. Bodies of five fishermen were found in Little Rann of Kutch, he added. The nearby 42 sq km Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary was also under water.
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