Two killed as rain returns to Gujarat

As per the weather forecast, central Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch areas are expected to receive heavy rainfall till Sunday.

A car falls into a ditch in Ahmedabad as rains lashed the city and parts of state on Friday. (Express)

Two people died in rains that lashed the state on Friday after nearly 25 days of sporadic rainfall. Ahmedabad received the seasons’s first record rainfall of 102 mm till Friday afternoon. The season’s total rainfall so far is reported to be 303 mm. Four districts of central Gujarat — Kheda, Panchmahal, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar — recorded the highest rainfall of above 100 mm. Kapadvanj in Kheda district received a record 150 mm rainfall, Godhra in Panchmahal received 124 mm, Sanand in Ahmedabad district received 110 mm, Ahmedabad city 102 mm and Gandhinagar’s Kalol recorded 105 mm rainfall.

In Chhota Udepur, two deaths were reported in separate incidents of house collapse. In the first incident, a 52-year old farmer, Shankar Rathwa, and his one-year-old-calf died when their kuccha house came crashing down due to heavy rain in Bunjar village of Kawant. In another incident, a five-year-old girl died when her house collapsed in Moti Sadhli village of Ranpur taluka.

As per the weather forecast, central Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch areas are expected to receive heavy rainfall till Sunday. Of the seven dams in Dahod district, Umariya Dam in Dhanpur taluka was overflowing by 0.40 metres till Friday afternoon. Six villages around Dhanpur were alerted. “Rainfall has stopped and we are expecting the water level in the dam to decline. But we are on alert keeping in view the forecast of heavy rain in the coming days,” said Dahod District Collector Vijay Kharadi.

Among the six zones in Ahmedabad, the East, West, New West and Central zone received the highest rainfall — all above 100 mm (see box). Vejalpur in New West zone, Chandkheda in West zone and Chakudiya area in the East zone received 137.50 mm, 127 and 122.50 mm rainfall, respectively. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in central Gujarat, Suarashtra and Kutch till Sunday.

“The depression developed on Thursday over south Chhattisgarh and adjoining Didarbha moved west northwestwards and weakened into a well-marked low pressure area over southwest Madhya Pradesh and adjoining Gujarat and Maharashtra on Friday morning,” the weather forecast stated.

Dams’ water level rises

Water level of Narmada dam stood at 112.12 metres on Friday evening. Inflow into the dam was increased, which stood at 1,51,575 cusecs on Friday morning, while outflow was restricted to 3,972 cusecs. Due to heavy rainfall in upper catchment areas of Ukai dam in Tapi district, the water level in the dam has reached to 301 feet from 300 feet.

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Gujarat rains