Gujarat is facing exceptionally heavy rainfall, leading to widespread disruption, three fatalities, and the evacuation of nearly 20,000 people. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert for Gujarat and parts of the Saurashtra region, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall, with isolated instances of extremely heavy downpours, continuing until August 29. These alerts indicate rare and intense weather conditions that pose significant risks to life and property.
The IMD has placed several districts under a red alert, including Kutch, Morbi, Surendranagar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Dwarka, Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Junagadh, Panchmahal, Dahod, Tapi, Navsari, Valsad, Ahmedabad, Botad, Amreli, Anand, Kheda, Mahisagar, Narmada, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Surat, and Dang. An orange alert for rainfall has been issued for six other districts: Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha, and Aravalli.
The heavy rainfall is attributed to a deep depression over Northwest Madhya Pradesh and adjoining east Rajasthan, which has intensified. This weather system is expected to bring strong surface winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph, gusting up to 60 kmph, along the Gujarat coast and the adjoining northeast Arabian Sea until August 28. Winds could intensify further to 55-65 kmph, with gusts up to 75 kmph, on August 29.
Several districts, including Vadodara, Panchmahal, Jamnagar, Junagadh, and Kutch, have received significant rainfall in the past 24 hours. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), Tankara taluka in Morbi district and Morva Hadaf in Panchmahal district reported 355 mm of rainfall. Other areas, such as Borsad taluka in Anand and Vadodara taluka in Vadodara district, received 268 mm and 262 mm of rainfall, respectively.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has stated that South Gujarat has received 105% of its average annual rainfall, while Kutch has received 95.8%. Central Gujarat, north Gujarat, and Saurashtra have seen 77%, 70.74%, and 91% of their annual averages, respectively. The Chief Minister conducted a virtual meeting with district collectors, superintendents of police, and senior civic officials to review the situation. He has been in communication with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who assured the state of necessary assistance, including the deployment of additional central forces if required.
In response to the red alert, all district collectors have been instructed to cancel the leaves of their staff. State Commissioner of Relief, Alok Kumar Pandey, reported that 1,653 people had been rescued with the help of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and Coast Guard. Additionally, approximately 17,800 people have been evacuated as a precautionary measure. Pandey also reported three deaths in rain-related incidents in the past 24 hours, raising the total death toll for the season to 99.
Rising water levels in rivers and dams have necessitated the relocation of hundreds of people. In Bharuch city, at least 280 people were moved to safer locations after nearly 4 lakh cusecs of water were released into the Narmada River from the Sardar Sarovar Dam. Navsari district in South Gujarat has seen more than 1,500 people relocated due to rivers like the Purna and Kaveri crossing danger levels.
To manage rescue and relief operations, 13 teams from the NDRF and 22 teams from the SDRF have been deployed in the affected districts. Despite these efforts, at least seven people remain missing after a trolley tractor was swept away in Morbi district. In Sabarkantha district, a car carrying two people was washed away but rescued by the fire brigade after locals raised an alarm. Heavy rainfall has also led to infrastructure damage, including a damaged bridge on National Highway 56 in Chhota Udepur district due to the swollen Bharaj River.
The Chief Minister has directed the relevant departments to take necessary actions, such as restoring electricity in the affected areas. Authorities have urged residents to stay indoors and avoid venturing near water bodies to ensure their safety during these adverse weather conditions.
