India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red-coloured warning for very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over parts of Gujarat and Madhya Maharashtra for today. According to IMD, East Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Konkan, Goa, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland may experience heavy to very heavy rainfall for the day.
The weather agency has forecast heavy rainfall over Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Mahe, Vidarbha, Saurashtra, Kutch, West Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh till Sunday.
The Met Department also predicted thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds over Sikkim, Sub Himalayan West Bengal, Gujarat, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands during next two to three days.
Heavy rainfall continues to severely disrupt normal life across South and Central Gujarat, leading to widespread waterlogging, swollen rivers, and road closures. Relief and evacuation operations are underway on a mission mode in rain-affected districts, particularly Surat and Valsad.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured all possible assistance to Gujarat from the centre for rain relief. Senior ministers and secretaries have been deployed to oversee operations on the ground.
Torrential rains have brought normal life to a complete standstill across several parts of Gujarat, with South and central districts facing the maximum impact.
According to official data from the State Emergency Operation Center, Umarpada in Surat district recorded over eleven inches of rainfall within six hours today, while Umbergaon in Valsad received nearly ten inches during the same period.
Other areas, including Netrang in Bharuch, Pardi in Valsad, and Khergam in Navsari, recorded over six inches of rain. Considering the rising water levels and flood-like conditions, the Valsad district administration has ordered all factories and industrial units to remain closed today.
In Ahmedabad, heavy morning showers led to severe waterlogging, forcing municipal authorities to close major underpasses for traffic while pumping operations continue.
Relief and rescue operations are progressing on a mission mode with NDRF teams actively evacuating stranded residents. In Surat alone, over twenty-two hundred people from low-lying areas have been shifted to safe rain shelters, while municipal authorities work on a war footing to drain floodwaters.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is closely monitoring the situation from the State Emergency Operation Center in Gandhinagar. Meanwhile, the IMD has warned of continued heavy rainfall with thunderstorms and gusty winds in many parts of the state.