AHMEDABAD: Torrential rains battered South and Central Gujarat since early morning, leaving streets waterlogged and chaos unfolding across cities. A red alert has been issued in 11 districts till 4 pm as the weather threat deepens.
In Surat Bay, three youths were swept away, two were rescued by the fire brigade, while one remains missing. The Meteorological Department has predicted another week of intense rainfall, compounding the crisis. With coastal winds expected to blow at 40–50 kmph, fishermen have been strictly warned against venturing into the sea.
Gujarat has been drenched in just nine days since the monsoon entered on 15 June, and the fury shows no signs of letting up.
Surat city has been pounded by 13 inches of rain in the past 24 hours, the highest recorded in the state, while the entire district logged an average of 6 inches, marking it as the wettest region in Gujarat. Kamrej taluka alone received a staggering 11 inches, followed by 8 inches in Palsana.
Dolvan (Tapi), Borsad (Anand), and Olpad (Surat) each recorded 5 inches, while Choryasi (Surat), Vyara (Tapi), Mandvi and Mangrol (Surat), Khambhat (Anand), Halol (Panchmahal), Navsari, and Bharuch talukas received 3 inches each.
The rain impact extended widely, over 2 inches fell in 18 talukas, over 1 inch in 40 talukas, and even 96 talukas saw measurable precipitation under 1 inch. In total, rainfall was reported in 170 talukas across 31 districts in the last 24 hours, pushing the state’s seasonal average rainfall past 21% by 6 am on 24 June.
Amid this relentless downpour, tragedy struck Surat city’s Puna-Kumbharia area this morning, where three youths were caught in a sudden creek surge. Two were rescued by fire brigade teams, but an 18-year-old is still missing. Search operations are underway on a war footing.
The Meteorological Department has issued an extreme rainfall warning for today and predicts widespread rain across both regions of Gujarat for the next seven days.
Ashok Kumar Das from the Meteorological Department says, “According to today’s forecast, widespread rainfall is expected across both regions of Gujarat over the next seven days. An extreme rainfall warning has been issued for today specifically for the Gujarat region...”