Heavy rain batters Gujarat; IMD issues red, orange alerts in multiple districts

Ahmedabad, Aug 25 (IANS) Gujarat continues to witness heavy monsoon showers, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing multiple alerts across the state.

Since early Monday morning, several areas of Ahmedabad have reported intense rainfall.

The IMD has sounded a red alert for Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, and Aravalli districts, while an orange alert has been issued for 21 districts.

According to the IMD, orange alerts are in place for Kutch, Surendranagar, Patan, Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Anand, Vadodara, Panchmahal, Bharuch, Dahod, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, Navsari, Dang, Valsad, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman. A yellow alert has been issued for other districts.

Forecast for August 26-27: The IMD has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall with thunderstorms in more than 20 districts, including Sabarkantha, Patan, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Aravalli, Mahisagar, Ahmedabad, Surendranagar, Anand, Panchmahal, Dahod, Bharuch, Botad, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Tapi, Dang, and Vadodara.

Forecast for August 28-30: From August 28 to 30, the IMD has forecast widespread heavy rainfall across Kutch, Morbi, Surendranagar, Patan, Banaskantha, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Tapi, Dang, Navsari, Valsad, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Aravalli, Mahisagar, Dahod, Chhota Udepur, and Narmada districts.

Gujarat has so far received about 77 per cent of its seasonal rainfall this monsoon, with regional variations ranging from 73 per cent in central Gujarat to over 80 per cent in South Gujarat and Kutch.

The steady rains have pushed up storage in reservoirs across the state, with the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada River now holding about 81-85 per cent of its capacity, while the state’s other 206 reservoirs are on average 76-78 per cent full.

In fact, 76 dams, including Sardar Sarovar, have reached between 70 per cent and 100 per cent capacity, ensuring sufficient water for drinking, irrigation, and kharif crops.

While many districts have seen widespread heavy showers filling up reservoirs and boosting kharif sowing, some pockets, however, remain below the seasonal average, underlining the state’s recurring trend of abundant rain in the southern and coastal belts and relatively moderate showers in central and northern regions.

--IANS

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