Surat saw 20 inches of rain since Monday: Civic body chief

3 min readSuratUpdated: Jul 8, 2026 10:18 PM IST

The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), with the help of rescue teams, on Wednesday shifted and evacuated around 7,600 people to safer areas mainly from the low lying areas of Udhna, Limbayat and Varachha, officials said.

Municipal Commissioner M Nagarajan said the city saw 20 inches of rain since Monday even as the water level in the creeks crossed the danger mark. Schools, colleges and anganwadis remained closed for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.

Apart from Surat city, suburbs of Kamrej (16 inches) and Palsana (18 inches) talukas in Surat district also received heavy rainfall, disrupting normal life. Udhna, Varachha, Limbayat, Ved Road, Sagrampura areas also reported power outages on Tuesday night.

Nagarajan said, “A red alert was declared by the Meteorological Department and in the past 48 hours starting Monday, over 20 inches of rainfall was recorded in Surat city. Water levels in Bhedwad and Mithi Creeks have also risen, exceeding the danger level due to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas. Over 4,000 people have been shifted while 3600 people have been rescued and moved to safer places. We have distributed over 20,000 food packets, 9,700 water bottles and 4,000 milk pouches to the affected citizens.”

With some respite from the rain on Wednesday, the SMC began a door-to-door health surveillance drive. “We have alerted the citizens still trapped due to rainwater and are taking care of their medical facilities and foods. In those areas where the water receded, we sent our cleaning teams. We have also started a door-to-door survey to find out whether anyone is ill and medical teams are sent there simultaneously. The situation is presently under control,” Nagarajan said.

The State Emergency Operation Centre in Gandhinagar deployed six teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Surat to carry out rescue and shifting operations in those areas where water entered houses, shops, factories, etc.

In the early hours on Wednesday, the teams shifted 153 males, 67 females and 35 children from Shiv Shakti society in the Dindoli area. These people were given shelter in the SMC schools and community halls, where they were provided food packets and drinking water bottles.

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Apart from this, the NDRF teams also carried out rescue operation in low-lying areas in Khatodara.

Sachin Police station staff also rescued over 18 people trapped in the low-lying areas after the rainwater entered their homes in Kharvasa area located on the Dindoli-Bhatiya village road.

A police officer told this newspaper that people trapped were rescued and brought to the police station where they were provided food and later shifted to community halls.

The state government posted former municipal commissioner Shalini Agrawal as Special Officer to oversee rescue and relief operations.

Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground coverage from Surat and the broader South Gujarat region and the Union territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli. With a reporting career at the publication spanning back to 2007, he has established himself as a high-authority voice on the industrial, social, and political pulse of one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs.

Expertise
Industrial & Economic Beat: Based in the “Diamond City,” Saiyed offers expert reporting on the diamond and textile industries. His work tracks global market shifts (such as De Beers production changes), local trade policies, and the socio-economic challenges facing the millions of workers in Surat’s manufacturing hubs.
Civic & Infrastructure Coverage: He consistently reports on urban development and public safety in Surat, including:
Traffic & Urban Planning: Monitoring the city’s 13-fold increase in traffic violations and the implementation of new municipal drives.
Public Safety: Investigative reporting on infrastructure failures, fire safety NOC compliance in schools and commercial buildings, and Metro rail progress.
Political Reporting: Tracking the shifting dynamics between the BJP, Congress, and AAP in South Gujarat and the neighboring Union Territories (Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli).
Crime beat: Armed with a good source network Saiyed has been able to bring out the human side of crime stories in his region … Read More

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