The Indian Meteorological Department of India (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rains in most parts of Gujarat till September 5. The weather agency said the state is out of the grip of the rare Cyclone Asna, which was expected over Saurashtra and Kutch regions but squally winds up to the speeds of 40 to 50 km per hour will be experienced.
IMD has issued an orange alert for ‘heavy to very heavy rains’ at isolated areas in south Gujarat, while Vadodara, Bharuch, Anand, Narmada, Panchmahal, Dahod, and Chota Udepur are expected to witness heavy rains over the next few days.
Gandhinagar, Aravalli, Ahmedabad and districts of Saurashtra-Kutch namely Rajkot, Jamnagar and several others will witness light to moderate thunderstorms with lightning, said IMD.
Over the past few days, rainfall wreaked havoc in several parts of Gujarat, including cities like Vadodara and Ahmedabad. Severe waterlogging and massive flooding resulted in huge losses of lives and property in the state.
Till date, 36 people have died due to the incidents triggered by heavy rains in Gujarat. Over 18,000 individuals have been evacuated, and approximately 1,200 have been rescued from flood-affected areas across the state.
Meanwhile, a total of 24 crocodiles were rescued from residential areas in Gujarat's Vadodara amid very heavy rains between August 27 and 29, which led to the water level in the Vishwamitri river that flows through the city rising, a forest department official said on September 1.
The river is home to 440 crocodiles, many of which move into residential areas during flooding caused by water release from the Ajwa dam, Vadodara Range Forest Officer Karansinh Rajput said. However, no incident of crocodile-human conflict was recorded during these days, when the region and most parts of the state witnessed heavy rains, he added.