Gujarat braces for heavy rain, IMD issues red alert for several districts
Owing to the GPSC examination, to be held on Sunday, the District Collectors have also been instructed to be vigilant
4 min read
On September 7, a red alert was issued for Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Mehsana and Kutch districts and an orange alert for Patan, Gandhinagar, Morbi, Surendranagar and Aravalli districts. (Express file photo)The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for several districts in Gujarat against extremely heavy rainfall predicted on September 6 and 7.
A review meeting was held at the State Emergency Operation Center (SEOC) Gandhinagar under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi on Saturday to review the situation.
According to the IMD, the red alert has been issued for Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mehsana and Surendranagar districts and an orange alert for Patan, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Mahisagar, Morbi, Rajkot and Botad districts.
Additionally, on September 7, a red alert was issued for Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Mehsana and Kutch districts and an orange alert for Patan, Gandhinagar, Morbi, Surendranagar and Aravalli districts.
Based on the forecast of the Meteorological Department, the Chief Secretary instructed the concerned district administration to make all necessary preparations. After reviewing the water level situation of the dams in multiple districts and the inflow of rainwater into them, he asked to release water from the dams if necessary and alert the villages in the low-lying areas in advance.
Owing to the Gujarat Public Service Commission examination, to be held on Sunday, the District Collectors have also been instructed to be vigilant especially around the exam centers.
With a forecast of heavy rainfall in Banaskantha district, culmination of Bhadavri Poonam Mela at Ambaji, the District Collector Mihir Patel issued a public alert requesting everyone to be vigilant, especially villages located in the low-lying areas of the river and dam.
“In case of any difficulty, it is requested to contact the district and taluka control rooms immediately. All devotees, walking on foot to Ambaji for the Bhadavri Poonam Mela and the camps for them were also requested to take into account the forecast of the IMD,” the collector’s warning issued Saturday stated.
All the officers and employees of the district and taluka administration have been instructed to be present on duty at the district headquarters.
Further, the government has directed to deploy more teams in the red-alert districts if necessary. In the wake of the red alert situation, 12 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 20 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been deployed in multiple districts of the state to meet any emergency situation. One NDRF team has also been kept in reserve in Vadodara.
Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary also asked all the district collectors to take special precautions in view of the large number of citizens gathering for the Ganesh Visarjan at multiple places across the state on Saturday
The district collectors have been directed to ensure that proper arrangements are made so that the Ganesh Visarjan can be conducted by keeping the citizens away from water bodies.
Kaprada in Valsad receives highest rain
On Saturday, 209 talukas received rainfall with Kaprada in Valsad recording the highest at 182 mm within 12 hours ending 6 pm. Other talukas to receive heavy rainfall included Botad 89 mm, Poshina in Sabarkantha at 83 mm, Paddhari in Rajkot 80 mm, Talod in Sabarkantha 78 mm, Sanand in Ahmedabad 77 mm, Jamkandorna in Rajkot 72 mm, Prantij in Sabarkantha 69 mm, Bayad in Aravalli 66 mm, Umbergam and Dharampur in Valsad at 66 and 63 mm, Palanpur in Banaskantha 60 mm and Radhanpur in Patan 58 mm, Danta in Banaskantha 57 mm, Kadi in Mehsana 55 mm, Bhiloda in Aravalli 53 mm.
Ahmedabad city reported an average of 20.38 mm rainfall including areas of Bakrol, Jodhpur and Sarkhej in the south west zone receiving 34.5 mm, 28.5 mm and 27.5 mm rainfall, respectively, till 5 pm.
Other areas that received heavy rainfall were Usmanpura 33 mm, Odhav 27 mm, Maninagar, Bopal and Memko 26 mm and Thaltej 24 mm. The total average rainfall of the season in the state received is 98 per cent.
IMD Forecast
From Sept 6 till Sept 7 (8.30 am)
Red alert: Exceptionally heavy rainfall in Sabarkantha. Heavy to very heavy rains with isolated extremely heavy falls very likely in Banaskantha, Mehsana, Aravalli, Valsad, Surendranagar and Rajkot.
Orange alert: Heavy to very heavy rains in Patan, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Mahisagar, Dang and Navsari, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Junagadh, Morbi, Dwarka and Botad.
From Sept 7 till Sept 8 (8.30 am)
Red alert: Heavy to very heavy rains with isolated extremely heavy falls in the districts of Banaskantha, Mehsana, Sabarkantha and Aravalli and Kutch.
Orange alert: Heavy to very heavy rains in the districts of Patan, Gandhinagar and Mahisagar, Surendranagar, Rajkot and Morbi
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