IMD Warns Of Extremely Heavy Rainfall In Gujarat's Saurashtra and Kutch

Gujarat Floods: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning for extremely heavy rainfall in Gujarat’s Saurashtra and Kutch regions on Thursday. IMD's alert comes as Gujarat grapples with severe flooding that has claimed 28 lives. Significant impacts remain, particularly in Vadodara and other areas struggling with flood-like conditions. Overflowing rivers continue to pose risks, and authorities are intensifying rescue and relief efforts. To date, over 18,000 people have been relocated, and around 1,200 individuals have been rescued from inundated areas. Some rescue operations involved helicopters to evacuate residents to safer locations, according to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC).

Vadodara, one of the most severely affected cities, saw a reduction in the water level of the Vishwamitri River, dropping from 37 feet to 32 feet by morning. Despite this improvement, numerous low-lying areas remain flooded. The river had exceeded the danger mark of 25 feet earlier in the week due to intense rains and the release of water from the Ajwa Dam.

Bhanvad in Devbhumi Dwarka district recorded 295 mm rainfall, while Abdasa in Kutch received 276 mm, while Kalyanpur in Devbhumi Dwarka witnessed 263 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours. 

Twenty talukas in Gujarat received over 100 mm rainfall during this period, official data said. Mandvi taluka in Kutch recorded 101 mm rainfall in four hours ending 10 am.

Teams of Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), its state counterpart SDRF along with local administration are engaged in relief and rescue operations in the most-affected districts of Vadodara, Dwarka, Jamnagar, Rajkot and Kutch, officials said.