Heavy rains in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region paralyzed everyday life in towns and cut off smaller villages, resulting in a scenario akin to a flood. The’red’ signal has been issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for Junagadh, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Kutch, Surat, Valsad, Navsari, and Surat. A’red alert’ has been issued for the Palghar district while a ‘orange’ warning has been issued for a number of locations in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, and Ratnagiri.
At the same time that individuals were observed swimming through waist-deep water to evacuate their waterlogged houses and go to safer spots, dozens of parked automobiles and animals were carried away in the pouring floodwater in Junagarh. The city had 241 mm of rain in only 12 hours, starting Saturday evening at 8 p.m., forcing officials to order the evacuation of residents in low-lying regions.
Due to the rains, other areas of Gujarat also experienced waterlogging and traffic congestion.
According to PTI, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has sent two companies to Junagadh and is also sending a third team. Five fire response teams from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation and its neighboring Gondal Municipality were also sent by the SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) to help in rescue efforts.
In the vicinity of Silvassa, in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli that borders Gujarat, a father and son pair perished when their automobile swept away. On Friday night when they attempted to cross a low-lying bridge, the two were trapped in swiftly flowing floods. In the Gujarati city of Navsari, a second man and his kid drowned in a backed-up drain. An official told PTI that as the guy was being rescued, searches were being made to find the son.
In contrast, Mumbai has been suffering nonstop rain for the last two to three days, which has caused traffic bottlenecks, waterlogging in important places, and a delay in the operation of local trains. Following the death of 27 persons in a landslide at Irshalwadi, the local government in Raigad issued prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
Akola, in the Vidarbha area of Maharashtra, was hit hard by the rain, with the district receiving more than 100 mm of rain on the previous day.
In Maharashtra’s Thane and Palghar districts, villages in the Shahapur, Bhiwandi, and Vasai talukas were also placed on high alert due to the potential release of water from the Tansa dam. Bhiwandi saw extreme waterlogging, which led to several cars being partly buried. Yavatmal, which had 240 mm of rain on Saturday, also experienced significant harm.
The Amravati district of Maharashtra may get heavy rainfall, according to the meteorological service, while other regions of Vidarbha are expected to have gloomy weather. Over the next three days, there is also anticipated to be continued heavy to very heavy rainfall in various districts of south Gujarat and Saurashtra-Kutch, according to the IMD.
The Met department has issued a warning to fishermen not to travel along or off the north Gujarat coast from July 22 to July 26, citing the likelihood of squally weather during this time.