Ahmedabad: Torrential rain has wreaked havoc across parts of Saurashtra and South Gujarat over the past two days, triggering severe weather alerts and causing tragic incidents. In Botad district, a chaotic incident occurred when an Eco car carrying eight people was swept away by floodwaters near Lathidad. While two individuals have been rescued, six remain missing as search and rescue operations continue.
Meanwhile, in Amreli district, two people lost their lives in two separate rain-related incidents. One vehicle was washed away between Utiya and Rajparda near Rajula, and another in Kundla village near Babra, resulting in fatalities.
Adding to the concerns, Surendranagar’s Dholidhaja Dam has overflowed due to continuous rainfall, and Bhavnagar’s Shetrunji Dam is also nearing overflow capacity.
Weather Alerts Issued Across Gujarat
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued multiple alerts across Gujarat. A Red Alert is in effect for Kutch, Morbi, Surendranagar, Rajkot, and Botad, warning of extremely heavy rainfall over the next few hours.
An Orange Alert has been issued for areas including Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir Somnath, and Diu, with forecasts of moderate to heavy rainfall and wind speeds reaching up to 40 km/h.
A Yellow Alert has been announced for regions such as Aravalli, Kheda, Mahisagar, Panchmahal, Dahod, Anand, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, Dang, Navsari, Valsad, Daman, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, where light to moderate rainfall is expected.
Forecast for the Next 7 Days
The IMD has forecast sustained rainfall over the next week, with Red Alerts continuing in Ahmedabad, Anand, Bharuch, Surendranagar, Bhavnagar, Botad, Porbandar, and Junagadh. Widespread heavy to very heavy rainfall is also expected in Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Gandhinagar, Aravalli, Kheda, Vadodara, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Amreli, Morbi, Dwarka, Gir Somnath, and Kutch.
Fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea due to rough conditions and high tides expected throughout this period.