Junagadh flood: Orange alert in Gujarat for next 2 days, heavy rain likely

The India Meteorological Department on Saturday announced an orange alert in Gujarat for the next 2 days.

The IMD said that the state is likely to witness very heavy rainfall. Taking to its official Twitter handle the weather department said, “#Gujarat Region expects Heavy to Very Heavy Rainfall on 23rd and 24th July. Stay Safe!”

Heavy rains pounded in several districts of Gujarat on Saturday triggering a flood-like situation that isolated villages and led to rising water levels in dams and rivers. Navsari and Junagadh remained the most affected districts. In the city of Junagadh, dozens of vehicles and cattle swept away in the gushing waters. The city received 219mm of rain till 4 pm.

Speaking about the present situation in Junagadh Gujarat Minister Raghavji Patel said, “Junagadh received heavy rainfall today…Water in large amounts has entered the city…The people are safe, however, NDRF and SDRF teams are deployed there…”

In south Gujarat’s Navsari district, normal life was thrown out of gear due to torrential downpour. The Navsari and Jalalpur talukas received 303 and 276 mm of rainfall respectively, between 6 am and 4 pm.

According to a report in PTI, a father-son duo got swept away in a swollen drain in Gujarat’s Navsari. “While the man was rescued, efforts were underway to trace the son,” an official said.

The Chief Minister of the state Bhupendra Patel chaired a meeting to review the current situation.

Meanwhile, rescue teams that are pressed into service helped people living in low-lying areas shift to safer places. In the past few days, the state experienced relentless rainfall. Heavy rain battered parts of the state causing floods in the low-lying areas of Saurashtra and Kutch on Wednesday. Severe waterlogging was reported in Rajkot.