Heavy rain battered parts of Gujarat for the second time this week starting Thursday night, causing widespread waterlogging, road closures, and uprooted trees across Ahmedabad.
The weather office issued red alerts for Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Mehsana, Aravalli, Sabarkantha, Mahisagar, Anand and Kheda districts, and forecast moderate rain with thunderstorms till Friday afternoon.
At least four underpasses were shut during peak traffic hours in Ahmedabad following heavy waterlogging, officials said. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation later opened the Shahibaug underpass, while Mithakhali, Usmanpura and Akhbarnagar underpasses, connecting major areas of West Ahmedabad, continued to be closed.
Of the 34 districts, 32 saw an average of 8.69 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours. In some places, heavy rainfall affected routine life and led to the cancellation of some scheduled events.
The 150 talukas that witnessed rain in the last 24 hours — from Thursday 6 am to Friday 6 am — recorded rain in the range of 0.04 mm to 131 mm. The top five talukas that received the maximum rain are Maliya of Morbi district, Danta of Banaskantha, Shankheshwar of Patan, Dwarka in Devbhumi Dwarka, and Bechraji in Mehsana district.
Maliya received 131 mm (5.16 inch) of rain, Danta 91 mm (3.58 inch), Shankheshwar 85 mm (3.35 inch), Dwarka 71 mm (2.80 inch), and Bechraji received 65 mm (2.56 inch) of rain in the last 24 hours.
With this, Gujarat has received average rainfall of 779.41 mm, which is 85.79 per cent of the average rainfall the state has received in the last 30 years.
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This year, most parts of Gujarat have been facing an average rainfall deficit. Except South Gujarat, the rest of the regions have recorded less rainfall than the average received by them in the last 30 years.
While South Gujarat received 112.6 per cent of the average rainfall, Kutch (57.1%), north Gujarat (66.6%), east central (85.7%) and Saurashtra (66.6%) regions have recorded less rainfall than average. Porbandar, Jamnagar and Devbhumi Dwarka are the three districts that received minimum rainfall.
On Friday — between 6 am and 10 am — several parts of the state, including Ahmedabad city, recorded heavy rainfall.
Topping the list is Meghraj taluka of Aravalli district, which received 73 mm (2.87 inch), followed by Ahmedabad city 70 mm (2.76 inch), Talod of Sabarkantha 57 mm (2.24 inch), Modasa of Aravalli 57 mm (2.24 inch) and Kheralu of Mehsana 51 mm (2.01 inch).
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The heavy showers also led to cancellation or postponement of some scheduled events. Viramgam MLA Hardik Patel postponed two of his programmes in the constituency — an awareness camp on stroke, and a groundbreaking ceremony.
Parimal A Dabhi works with The Indian Express as Chief of Bureau, focusing on the state of Gujarat. Leveraging his seniority and access, Dabhi is recognized for his reporting on the complex interplay of law, politics, social justice, and governance within the region.
Expertise & Authority
Core Authority (Social Justice and Law): Dabhi is a key source for in-depth coverage of caste-based violence, discrimination, and the state's response to social movements, particularly those involving Patidar, Dalit and OBC communities. His reporting focuses on the societal and legal fallout of these issues:
Caste and Discrimination: He has reported extensively on social boycotts and instances of violence against Dalits (such as the attack on a Dalit wedding party in Patan), the community's demands (like refusing to pick carcasses), and the political responses from leaders like Jignesh Mevani.
Judicial and Legal Affairs: He tracks significant, high-stakes legal cases and judgments that set precedents in Gujarat, including the convictions under the stringent Gujarat Animal Preservation Act (cow slaughter), 2002 Gujarat riots and developments in cases involving former police officers facing charges of wrongful confinement and fake encounters.
Political and Administrative Oversight: Dabhi provides essential coverage of the inner workings of the state government and the opposition, ensuring a high degree of Trustworthiness in political analysis:
State Assembly Proceedings: He frequently reports directly from the Gujarat Assembly, covering Question Hour, discussion on various Bills, debates on budgetary demands for departments like Social Justice, and ministerial statements on issues like illegal mining, job quotas for locals, and satellite-based farm loss surveys.
Electoral Politics: His work details key political developments, including election analysis (voter turnout records), party organizational changes (like the end of C R Patil’s tenure as BJP chief), and campaign dynamics. ... Read More
