Saturday, August 19 2006 14:24 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: Gujarat today(Aug 19, 2006) seemed headed for more trouble as more water was released from the dams over the Sabarmati and Mahi rivers, leading to a flood alert being sounded in the central and northern parts of the state.

Flood control authorities said the outflow of water from the Kadana dam on the Mahi was 668,000 cusecs. It was expected to rise further due to increasing inflow from the catchments area in Rajasthan.

Heavy overnight rains in southern Rajasthan and the north Gujarat districts of Sabarkantha, Mehsana and Banaskantha were likely to result in flooding in the Sabarmati river, officials said.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, the outflow from the Dharoi dam on the Sabarmati was 100,000 cusecs, and the flood control room said it would increase further.

Ahmedabad district collector D. Thara said due to the outflow from Dharoi and other small dams in Sabarkantha and Mehsana, the city of Ahmedabad might witness more than 200,000 cusecs inflow at the Wasna barrage.

People living in low-lying areas in Ahmedabad and along the river belt have been asked to move to safer places. Thousands of people would be evacuated from villages of the Panchmahals, Anand, Kheda and Vadodara districts due to the swollen Mahi.

With Saturday's evacuation of people near the Mahi riverbanks in central Gujarat, it would be the fourth time this month that the exercise is being undertaken. The villages there saw floods thrice earlier this season.

Meanwhile, an alert has been sounded on 99 reservoirs across the state, with high alert on 23 others.