3 killed as heavy rains lash Gujarat, over 20,000 evacuated
Three people were killed in rain-related incidents as torrential downpours hit various parts of Gujarat on Tuesday, leading to the evacuation of nearly 20,000 residents to safer locations. An exceptionally heavy rainfall alert was issued for Gujarat and parts of the Saurashtra region over the coming days, with low-lying areas already flooded. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has issued a warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy rainfall in several districts of the state until Thursday.
Red alert issued for 27 districts in Gujarat
A red alert has been issued for 27 districts in Gujarat, including Kutch, Morbi, Surendranagar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Dwarka, Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Junagadh, Panchmahal and Dahod among others. The remaining six districts have been put under an orange alert. These warnings are in effect for the next three days starting from Tuesday. The IMD also predicts strong surface wind speeds reaching up to 60km/h along and off the state's coast until Wednesday.
Why is Gujarat witnessing heavy rains
The IMD has attributed the extreme rainfall in Gujarat to a depression over northwest Madhya Pradesh and adjoining east Rajasthan, which has intensified into a deep depression. In the past 24 hours, several districts including Vadodara, Panchmahal, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Kutch have experienced heavy rainfall. Tankara taluka in Morbi district and Morva Hadaf in Panchmahal district recorded 355mm of rainfall during this period. In light of the severe weather, the state education department declared a holiday for primary schools.
Emergency measures in place
CM Patel reported that south Gujarat received 105% and Kutch 95.8% of their average annual rainfall this season, while central north Gujarat and Saurashtra saw 77% and 70.74% respectively. Meanwhile, Patel held a virtual meeting with district collectors, superintendents of police, and senior civic officials to assess the situation. He has also been in contact with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who assured additional central assistance if needed.
