Japan K Pathak

In the first article’s first paragraph only in this series I suggested that the citizens and the city managers of Vadodara must realize that it’s a flood-prone and vulnerable place in monsoons.

Look at the example of the year 2014. Vishwamitri river flooded Vadodara city in September for roughly over two days and it came as a surprise. In 2014, Vadodara had minus 96% rainfall compared to average in the month of June. In July it was minus 15%, in August minus 48%, but in September it was plus 109% and there was flood situation within hours. Same way neighboring Panchamahal, where June rainfall that year was as low as minus 99%, July minus 15%, August minus 48%, and then came surprise – plus 109% shower in September, the month of surprise that brought flood. As a Barodian you just can’t be sure of a floodless year till the mid-September is over! While the average annual rainfall of Vadodara district in 2014 was merely 715.6 mm and Panchmahal 785.8 mm, the flood was caused in September 2nd week due to extremely heavy rainfall in a short span.

In 2014, Vadodara district received rainfall (mm) month wise – June 62, July 321.12, August 118.8, September 243.6, while Panchmahal received June 0.9, July 266.1, August 168.6 and September 341.9.

Rainfall Data for Vadodara and Panchamahal (2014)
Month	Vadodara (mm)	Panchamahal (mm)
June	62	0.9
July	321.12	266.1
August	118.8	168.6
September	243.6	341.9
Average Annual Rainfall	715.6	785.8
Rainfall compared to average rain (2014)
Month	Vadodara (%)	Panchamahal (%)
June	-96	-99
July	-15	-15
August	-48	-48
September	109	109

IMD forecast 

India Meteorological Department (IMD), the weather department functioning under the Government of India’s available bulletin on 8 September 2014 morning stated – MORNING’S WELL MARKED LOW PRESSURE AREA NOW LIES OVER SOUTHWEST MADHYA PRADESH AND ADJOINING MAHARASHTRA WITH ASSOCIATED UPPER AIR CYCLONIC CIRCULATION EXTENDING UP TO 7.6 KM ABOVE SEA LEVEL.

The forecast for Gujarat region (Vadodara and Panchmahal parts of it) predicted heavy to very heavy rains, with isolated extremely heavy falls during 8th September 8.30 am to 10th of September 8.30 am. I don’t have district wise forecast details for this period, or I am not sure whether district-wise bulletins were issued then. I have observed that the IMD has drastically improved after 2014 with graphical district-wise bulletins and more specific forecast with localized alerts, even the flash-flood forecasts and nowcast bulletins.

More articles of this series – (1) Vishwamitri has long history of flooding Vadodara; Campbell in 1883 wrote that it ‘frequently overflows in monsoons’

(2) Ajwa Dam was built based on annual average 39 inches rain in Vadodara; it’s now 42.24 inches and rising

(3) 1927 flood of Vishwamitri in Vadodara attracted global attention amid reports of Ajwa dam burst and 1000 deaths

(4) More Vishwamitri floods in Vadodara in 20th & 21st centuries; highest rain of June on record in 2005 caused first flood of century

(5) 2019: When Unprecedented Extremely Heavy Rains and Flooding Vishwamitri Stalled the City of Vadodara for 5 Days

Extremely heavy rainfall occured in Vadodara, heavy rainfall in Panchmahal

I don’t have taluka-wise rainfall figures, but district-wise figures give some idea of downpour through these days because of which Vadodara got a flood.

As of 8 September 6.00 am, Vadodara district had completed 602 mm rainfall of the year, or 67.52% of the last 10 years’ average rainfall (which was 891 mm) in the district. Panchmahal had completed 678 mm or 76.90% of the 10-year average 882 mm rainfall at the same time. Worth noting that 8 September was Ganesh Visarjan day.

On 9 September at 6 am Vadodara’s total rainfall went up to 718 mm, while Panchmahal 847 mm. Meaning there was 11.6 inches of rainfall in 24 hours in Vadodara district on 8/9 September and 6.65 inches in Panchmahal during the same period.

On 10 September at 6 am the rainfall of Vadodara district was 767 mm, while Panchmahal 877 mm. Meaning Vadodara received 1.92 inches of rainfall in 24 hours on 9/10 September, while Panchmahal received 1.18 inches of rain in the same period.

On 11 September at 6 am, Vadodara’s total rainfall was 770 mm (86.45% of average season), while Panchmahal was 911 mm (103.32% of average).

Meaning in 24 hours on 10/11 September, Vadodara received just 3 mm of rainfall, while Panchmahal received 1.33 inches of rainfall.

So the highest rainfall which caused a flood in Vadodara city in 2014 was during 24 hours from 6 am on 8 September to 6 am on 9 September, or simply saying, majorly the 8th September, and it was attributed to a Low-mark Pressure Area by IMD.

As I have mentioned in earlier articles of this series, extremely heavy rainfall in Halol taluka has the potential to flood the city of Vadodara. And as per a local newspaper reporting, Halol had 11 inches of rainfall in ‘this round’ (I don’t know what the ’round’ refers to. The newspapers should report the exact time frame). Even Savli had 9 inches of rainfall. Both of these, coupled with the extremely heavy rainfall in Vadodara, would definitely bring a flood situation.

September 8

So on 8 September evening only, the gates of Ajwa reservoir were opened for release of surplus water due to extremely heavy rainfall in upstream areas. Then Municipal Commissioner Manish Bhardwaj was quoted by the news agency PTI as saying – ‘It is for the first time in its 128-year-old history that the dam’s water level crossed more than 215 feet’.

The Times of India report mentioned that a pond brimmed over in Halol in Panchmahal district causing extensive waterlogging in the town. Perhaps it was referring to Taliyu talav which is located in Pavagadh in upstream area of Ajwa dam. Teliyu pond in Pavagadh had started overflowing.

September 9

The Chief Minister called a meeting to review the rainfall situation across the State at 12.30 pm. In Vadodara. Vishwamitri’s level was up at 23 ft, which was below the danger level of 26 ft and flood level of 30 ft, but was expected to rise drastically over the next few hours. Ajwa level was around 215 ft.

The rainfall was not limited to Vadodara-Panchmahal and Central Gujarat. 12 gates of Ukai dam were opened. Schools holiday was declared in Patan due to 10 inches rain in 12 hours. Anand Sarovar in Patan was overflowing. Sarbarkantha too had received heavy rainfall. 2 lakh cusecs water from, Kadana, 4 lakh cusecs from Sardar Sarovar was being released. The height of Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam then was 125.87 m and water was overtopping there. Water was released from Panam reservoir as well.

Till a day before, Gujarat was discussing about the flood in Jammu & Kashmir, and the government was busy collecting and sending relief materials for flood-hit areas of Jammu & Kashmir. But then, the latest round of extremely heavy to very heavy rainfall started keeping busy the Gujarat government within the home front.

Chief Minister’s public meeting in Vadodara was canceled following water logging low lying areas. Vadodara was going to witness by-poll of Lok Sabha seat on September 13 as the Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi had vacated the seat to retain Varanasi seat. Gujarat was also going to witness by-polls for several Vidhan Sabha seats.

With rivers on rampage, Vadodara – Halol road was closed for traffic due to flood water.

By 2 pm Ahmedabad’s Fire Brigade team was moved to Vadodara with rescue boats. 140 strong NDRF team was put on standby in Vadodara.

Savli – Galteshwar road was closed for traffic.

Kalika Mandir Trust decided to shut the Kalika temple for a day due to heavy rainfall and overflowing Teliya talav.

Dabhoi – Vadodara highway was closed due to flooding Dhadhar river. As per 3.31 pm reporting, Vishwamitri river crossed danger level of 26 ft.

Elsewhere in Gujarat, Bechraji – Harij and Bhavnagar – Dhandhuka (due to collapse of a small bridge) highways were closed for traffic.

Gujarat CM on her post-meeting briefing said Gujarat is lucky to have rainfall through last many years since Narendrabhai became Chief Minister. On Vadodara she said, Ajwa dam overflow had caused arrival of flood water in low lying areas of Vadodara. Shifting of people was going on. 3 NDRF teams and Army were on standby with boats.

27 roads were shut across the State, she informed.240 health teams were ready for post-flood works.

At 7.30 PM CM held a review meeting at circuit house in Vadodara to review the flood situation.   Vishwamitri was at 28.6 ft level then. Sayaji Baug and under bridges were closed and holiday was declares in the schools next day(Sept 10).

Just before the midnight, Sama – Savli road was closed for traffic and rescue work was continuing in Ganeshnagar. The level of Vishwamitri reached 31 ft mark. Just imagine a jump from 20 ft in the morning to 31 ft from the morning to midnight. Vishwamitri’s sudden rise is well-recorded in the past as well.

Flood water started arriving in Sayajigunj area of city by midnight, and above is the photograph of the same. With this, the realization of an actual flood situation in Vadodara was clear.

10 September

Vishwamitri was at 31.3 ft level at 12.30 am(post-midnight).

Smriti Irani’s public meetings for Vadodara Lok Sabha seat by-poll were called off due to flood.

Ajwa was now below 214 ft from 215 ft and therefore further rise in Vishwamitri river’s water level in Vadodara was all possible.

The gates of the Ajwa dam were closed at around 5.30 am as the level came below 213.85 ft. Vishwamitri’s water level in Vadodara was steady at 33 ft. because closure of gates at Ajwa would impact Vishwamitri’s level in Vadodara after several hours.

At 11.30 am, Vishwamitri’s water level was up at 34 ft. Ajwa’s level was down at 213.70 ft.

At 1.08 pm, Vishwamitri was steady at 34 ft for previous two hours. Level was not reducing due to Pratapura reservoir’s overflow.

At 2.00 pm, the Election Commission inquired with the district collectors of flood-affected poll-bound districts of Gujarat, whether polling will be possible on 13 September for by-polls.

At 3 am, Vishwamitri was still steady at 34 ft level since 11 am. Ajwa level was 213.80 ft, up from 213.70 ft in the morning due to some fresh rainfall in upstream areas. But as the level was below 213.85 ft, the gates continued to remain closed.

At 5 pm, Vadodara DEO declared holiday in schools in the city and the district for 11 Sept. All trains were declared to stop at Makarpura station in Vadodara due to flood situation. Padra – Karjan highway was closed for traffic due to flooding Dhadhar river.

Then Municipal Commissioner Manish Bhardwaj speaking to Economic Times said that the water level did not go down through the day as Dhadhar river into which Vishwamitri flows was also in spate. “Dhadhar was at a level of 35.6 ft and it was unable to accommodate the flow from Vishwamitri. Bhardwaj said 15 to 20 per cent of the city was waterlogged due to the floods when Vishwamitri reached 34 ft.

A report in Business Standard stated the water in low-lying areas continued to rise in level of Vishwamitri due to high tide in the sea. The report quoted Gujarat government spokesperson Nitin Patel saying, “The situation is likely to continue till tomorrow as the effect of high tide due to the full moon on Tuesday will remain.” Patel went on to say that as many as 11,000 persons were shifted to safer locations in Vadodara city.

After a long wait of hours and about a couple of days, indeed, at 7 pm Vishwamitri level came down to 33.9 ft from 34 ft. The level started decreasing from here on. At 12.00 midnight the level came down to 33 ft.

11 September

Vishwamitri level came down to 30.30 ft at 10 am from 30.90 ft at 9 am.  It was 30 ft at 11 am. Bridges were reopened for traffic. The people could be seen visiting Kala Ghoda bridge in the picture above.

Sanitation staff from AMC and SMC was moved to Vadodara for post-flood cleaning. During the flood, the services offered by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cadres was very noticeable. Some voluntary efforts were also seen. Pictures of a Maruti Fronty car parked on the road for collection of relief material went viral.

RT @VarshabenDoshi: वड़ोदरा में पानी में फसे हुवे लोगो को RSS के स्वयंसेवको द्वारा फ़ूड वित्तरण का प्रयोजन.
pic.twitter.com/ryVfkPNxU8

— DeshGujarat (@DeshGujarat) September 11, 2014

(RSS relief)

Nice small effort during Vaddoara flood pic.twitter.com/pH6kICxnzl

— DeshGujarat (@DeshGujarat) September 11, 2014

At around 3 pm, the DEO declared that schools/colleges shall reopen in Vadodara from the next day (12 Sept).

12 September

At around 12 am(midnight), the level of Vishwamitri was 25.60 ft, meaning below the danger level.

More photos of flood can be found here : https://deshgujarat.com/2014/09/10/vadodara-flood-update-aajwa-gates-closed-vishwamitri-steady-at-33-ft/

While battling a major rescue in J&K, Indian Army rescues 206 people effected by Floods at Vadodara#ArmyRescue pic.twitter.com/aFU68KXUUn

— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 11, 2014

From the newspapers

News agency PTI reported that water entered the SSG hospital and zoo, forcing authorities to shift some animals from there.

The report further informed, in Vadodara city 12,761 were moved to safer areas while 9,528 from villages were relocated.

The Business Standard report informed that an Army helicopter was used to drop food packets. The report stated that while the low-pressure area over Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan had eventually become less marked, the cyclonic circulation of Gujarat and adjoining Arabian Sea persisted.

As per another news report, the worst affected areas according to Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC)’s Standing Committee Chairman Hitendra Patel were Panigate, Karelibaug, Mandvi, Sayajiganj, and Munjmahuda. As per a news report, then Municipal Commissioner Bhardwaj said the residents of Siddharth Bungalows were warned to vacate their homes on Tuesday, but they refused to leave their homes and got stuck in the flood waters. The authorities sent food packets and also evacuated 164 people from the colony. The residents didn’t allow water tankers and sanitation workers to enter their colony and also roughed up some policemen after heated arguments.

There are multiple reports of captures of stray crocodiles throughout the city after the flood, but they are stereotyped in nature, and I am not mentioning them here.

In the next parts of this series, we will discuss the floods in 2019 and 2024 and also deliberate on the possible solutions for Vadodara against flood vulnerability.  DeshGujarat

Author can be contacted at japanpathak @ gmail  . com

Some Photographs of 2014 Vadodara flood