2005 Gujarat Flood
Encyclopedia
The 2005 Gujarat Flood was a bout of major flooding affecting many parts of Gujarat and was caused by heavy monsoon
rains in June 2005.
Many of the southern districts of Gujarat
were on flood alert. Rivers in the Valsad district
were well above the flood level. About 15,000 people were evacuated from the coastal regions.
On June 30, the state was put on high alert and the army was asked to stand-by for rescue and relief operations.
On July 1, the trains on the Ahmedabad
-Mumbai
line of Western Railway (India)
were cancelled as the tracks near Vadodara
were submerged. Helicopters of Indian Air Force
were pressed into service to rescue some of the passengers stuck in the trains. With the exception of Ahmedabad airport
most of the airports in the state were not operational. The Government of India
announced relief package of Rs. 500 crores.
Due to these floods, crops worth crores of Rupees have been destroyed.
As of July 2 the death toll was about 123 people state wide and more than 250,000 evacuated.
As of July 8, the rail traffic on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai railway lines was restored. The trains were running normally but with a restricted speed to ensure safety.
As of July 11, the loss due to flooding was estimated to be over Rs. 8000 crore (over 1.7 bn dollars).
The Government of India deferred the deadline for filing income tax returns.
This map at http://www.reliefweb.int/ shows the flooding of various rivers and its surrounding areas.
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
rains in June 2005.
Many of the southern districts of Gujarat
Districts of Gujarat
-History:The state was created in 1960 out of the 17 northern districts of the former Bombay State: Ahmedabad, Amreli, Banaskantha, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Dang, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kheda, Kachchh, Mehsana, Panchmahal, Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Surat, Surendranagar, and Vadodara .In 1964 Gandhinagar...
were on flood alert. Rivers in the Valsad district
Valsad district
Valsad district is one of the 26 districts in the Western Indian state of Gujarat. It is bound by Navsari district to the north, Dang district to the east and the State of Maharashtra to the south. The Arabian Sea lies west of the district...
were well above the flood level. About 15,000 people were evacuated from the coastal regions.
On June 30, the state was put on high alert and the army was asked to stand-by for rescue and relief operations.
On July 1, the trains on the Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
-Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
line of Western Railway (India)
Western Railway (India)
The Western Railway is one of the 16 zones of Indian Railways, and is among the busiest railway networks in India. The major railway routes of Indian Railways which come under Western Railways are: Ratlam - Mumbai Central, Surat - Mumbai, Surat - Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad - Vadodara and Palanpur -...
were cancelled as the tracks near Vadodara
Vadodara
Vadodara formerly known as Baroda is the third most populated city in the Indian State of Gujarat . It is one of the four cities with the population of over 1 million...
were submerged. Helicopters of Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
were pressed into service to rescue some of the passengers stuck in the trains. With the exception of Ahmedabad airport
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport is India's eighth busiest airport with an average of 250 aircraft movements a day. It services the metropolitan areas of two cities in the State of Gujarat - Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. The airport is located from the Ahmedabad Railway Station. It is...
most of the airports in the state were not operational. The Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
announced relief package of Rs. 500 crores.
Due to these floods, crops worth crores of Rupees have been destroyed.
As of July 2 the death toll was about 123 people state wide and more than 250,000 evacuated.
As of July 8, the rail traffic on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai railway lines was restored. The trains were running normally but with a restricted speed to ensure safety.
As of July 11, the loss due to flooding was estimated to be over Rs. 8000 crore (over 1.7 bn dollars).
The Government of India deferred the deadline for filing income tax returns.
This map at http://www.reliefweb.int/ shows the flooding of various rivers and its surrounding areas.
A brief time-line
| last week, June 2005 |
Heavy down-pour on many parts of Gujarat |
| June 30 | the state was put on high alert, the army on stand-by |
| July 1 | All trains on the Ahmedabad Ahmedabad Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad... -Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million... line are cancelled |
| July 2 | Death toll reaches to 123, more than 250,000 people evacuated |
| July 7 | Rain stops, order is restored slowly in some parts of the state |
| July 8 | Trains resumes operations, but under restrictions and caution |
| July 11 | Overall infrastructure damage and loss estimated to be over USD 1.7 bn. Districts of southern Gujarat are worst affected. |