Heavy rain hits normal life in Gujarat, Odisha

The capital cities of Gujarat and Odisha saw heavy rain on Wednesday, waterlogging several roads and throwing normal life out of gear.

In Ahmedabad, even with a brief halt in the downpour, flooded roads disrupted traffic and schools in the city were forced to remain closed.

Though water levels receded in various parts of South Gujarat, where rail and road routes were affected due to heavy rain on Tuesday, people who have been shifted to nearby temples in Umargam of Valsad district will have to stay put as further downpours have been predicted over the next 48 hours. 

The Meteorological Department on Wednesday predicted heavy rain for various parts of Saurashtra and across Gujarat in the next two days. 

The state’s major cities, including Ahmedabad and Vadodara, continued to remain waterlogged with even highway traffic remaining blocked. 

Odisha, which also witnessed heavy rain on Wednesday, is  expected to receive heavy rain in the next 48 hours from the impact of the low pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal.  With roads inundated, water even entered housing colonies, making life miserable for the residents.

“Rain and thundershowers would occur in most places in the state during the next 48 hours. There will be heavy to very heavy rainfall in one or two places in interior as well as coastal Odisha.  In some places, the rainfall will be extremely heavy, ” the local weather office said in a statement.