Rains disrupt life in Gujarat's Gir Somnath, Junagadh; more showers likely in state for next 5 days

Heavy and incessant rains disrupted normal life in several parts of Gir Somnath and Junagadh districts in Gujarat, with Sutrapada taluka in Gir Somnath recording 300 mm downpour in 30 hours till Wednesday noon, officials said.

The Meteorological Centre here said monsoon is now active in Gujarat as a low pressure area was formed over Kutch region, and more downpour is likely over the next five days across the state.

Gir Somnath and Junagadh districts have been witnessing heavy rains since Tuesday, the officials said.

As per the data shared by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), Sutrapada taluka received 300 mm rainfall in the last 30 hours that ended at 12 pm of Wednesday, including 132 mm rainfall between 6 am and 12 pm.

Similarly, neighbouring Kodinar taluka of the same district received 119 mm rainfall between 6 am and 12 pm on Wednesday, Veraval taluka 106 mm, Mangrol taluka of Junagadh 82 mm, followed by Bhuj(Kutch) with 51 mm, Hansot (Bharuch) with 42 mm and Kalyanpur (Devbhumi Dwarka) with 33 mm, the SEOC said.

Normal life was affected in Mangrol, Kodinar and Veraval towns as well as several villages in Sutrapada and Kodinar talukas due to heavy downpour as low-lying areas, agricultural fields, housing societies and several roads were submerged in knee-deep water, officials said.

Gujarat Revenue Minister Rajendra Trivedi visited the SEOC in state capital Gandhinagar to take stock of the situation and review the preparedness of the authorities as more rainfall is predicted in the next five days.

"Most parts of Gujarat are likely to receive normal rainfall in the next five days," said Manorama Mohanty, director of the Meteorological Centre in Ahmedabad.

Heavy to very heavy showers, and at some places extremely heavy rains, are likely at isolated places in Gir Somnath, Devbhumi Dwarka, Surat, Valsad and Navsari districts during the next 24 hours.

"On July 8 and 9, extremely heavy rainfall may occur at some places in Valsad, Navsari, Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar and Porbandar districts due to the low pressure area over Kutch region," Mohanty said.