Heavy rains pound parts of Gujarat on 2nd day; roads flooded, high alert for 37 reservoirs as rivers swell

Ahmedabad: Heavy rains pummelled several parts of Gujarat on the second consecutive day on Monday, flooding roads and underpasses and affecting normal life.

With the water level of many rivers rising, the administration has sounded high alert for at least 37 reservoirs.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast widespread rainfall across the western state in the next 24 hours, an official said.

Sabarkantha, Mahisagar, Aravalli, Mehsana, and Banaskantha in north Gujarat as well as Junagadh in Saurashtra received more than 100 mm of rainfall in eight hours since Monday morning, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said.

Due to heavy showers in its catchment areas, the Sardar Sarovar Dam has reached 58 per cent of its water capacity, according to officials.

The copious rains led to the flooding of roads, and waterlogging at marketplaces, making commuting difficult in urban areas, they said.

In rural areas, rivers and dams swelled, inundating low-lying areas while some villages were also cut off due to heavy rains, they said.

According to the SEOC, Talod (138 mm) and Idar (134 mm) talukas in Sabarkantha district, Lunawada (127 mm) and Mahisagar (127 mm) in Mahisagar district, Dhansura (104 mm) in Aravalli district and Visnagar (100 mm) in Mehsana received rainfall of more than 100 mm.

On Sunday, parts of Patan, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Kutch, Banaskantha and Devbhumi Dwarka received very heavy rainfall of more than 100 mm.

As per the state government data, of 206 reservoirs in Gujarat, 26 are full, 40 have reached 70 to 100 per cent of their capacity, and 30 are at 50-70 per cent of their capacity.

The administration has sounded high alert for 37 reservoirs, an alert for 13 and a warning for 15 reservoirs, it was stated.

The IMD said the state is likely to receive widespread rainfall in the next 24 hours.

Saurashtra-Kutch belt is likely to receive light to moderate rainfall, while other parts of Gujarat may receive heavy to very heavy rainfall during this period, said Manorama Mohanty, Director of IMD's Ahmedabad centre.

Some north-eastern parts of Gujarat such as Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mahisagar, Mehsana etc. are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours, she said, adding isolated places in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar are expected to receive heavy rainfall.

On Tuesday, there is likely to be a "drastic reduction" in rainfall in the Saurashtra-Kutch region, but isolated places in other parts may continue to receive heavy rainfall, the official said, adding that the intensity of rains will reduce thereafter.