OWING to a Western Disturbance (WD) along with a trough passing through Gujarat, several parts of the state, including Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, received rainfall on Monday. Ruling out that the rainfall was linked to winds caused by the Cyclonic storm Shakhti over the Arabian Sea, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Ahmedabad regional director AK Das told The Indian Express, “The rainfall is due to the WD and majorly a result of the trough in upper tropospheric westerlies passing through Gujarat. It is not due to Shakti which is over 900 km from Gujarat's coast.” 'Morning’s Western Disturbance as a cyclonic circulation over northeast Afghanistan and adjoining Pakistan with a trough aloft in upper tropospheric westerlies with its axis at 7.6 km above mean sea level persists,' the IMD said in a statement. As per the IMD's bulletin issued at 6 pm on Monday, the Cyclonic storm Shakhti over east central and adjoining northwest Arabian Sea remained practically stationary during the past six hours around 900 km southwest of Karachi (Pakistan), 940 km west-southwest of Dwarka and 960 km west-southwest of Naliya. It is likely to move slowly east-southeastwards over west central and adjoining northwest Arabian Sea and weaken into a depression by the morning of October 7. Das added that there is a forecast of light or moderate rainfall for three days - till Wednesday. “Since the withdrawal of the Southwest Monsoon is still in progress and the changing wind direction moisture from the Arabian Sea is also witnessed resulting in light to moderate rainfall. No severe impact of Shakti is seen over Gujarat at the moment,” he added. Districts of Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Surendranagar along with Jamnagar received rainfall late Sunday night and early Monday morning. In the last 24 hours ending 5 pm Monday Dehgam in Gandhinagar recorded the highest of 45 mm followed by Jodiya in Jamnagar 30 mm, Gandhinagar 17mm, Chuda in Surendranager 14 mm and Ahmedabad city 12 mm. However,on Monday from 6 am till 6 pm, several talukas in Banaskantha received rainfall including Tharad with the highest of 18 mm rainfall followed by Bhabhar 15 mm, Deodar 11 mm and Vav in 10 mm. Other talukas that received moderate rainfall are Jamkandorna in Rajkot 13 mm, Sanand in Ahmedabad 12 mm and Talala in Gir Somnath 11 mm. As per the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), the state has so far received 117.43 per cent rainfall this monsoon season where 97 talukas have recorded more than 1000 mm rainfall. Among zones, as per SEOC Kutch remains with the highest rainfall receipt of 147.76 per cent followed by South Gujarat 122.5 per cent, North Gujarat 121.04 per cent, East Central Gujarat 116.11 per cent and Saurashtra 108.07 per cent.
