Gujarat is bracing for a fresh spell of intense monsoon activity this week, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing multiple yellow and orange alerts for heavy to very heavy rainfall across the state.
On Tuesday, heavy rain is very likely in Navsari, Valsad, and the Union Territories of Daman, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli.
The Narmada district has been placed under an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall on September 3, while a yellow warning has been issued for Dahod, Chhota Udepur, Dang, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi, and the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Rainfall intensity is expected to peak on September 4, when Narmada, Tapi, Chhota Udepur, and Dang are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places, with extremely heavy falls in some pockets. These districts are under an orange alert. A yellow warning is in place for Aravalli, Kheda, Anand, Panchmahal, Dahod, Mahisagar, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir Somnath, and Diu.
On September 5, heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy spells is forecast in Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Narmada, Bharuch, Dang, and Tapi, along with Amreli, Bhavnagar, and Botad. These areas are under an orange alert, while other districts including Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Banaskantha, Rajkot, Junagadh, and Gir Somnath are on yellow alert.
The wet spell is likely to persist on September 6, with orange alerts for Bharuch, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Bhavnagar, and Botad. Several other districts in north, central, and Saurashtra-Kutch regions will see heavy rainfall under a yellow alert.
By September 7, widespread rainfall is expected to cover nearly the entire state, including Banaskantha, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Narmada, Bharuch, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi, Dang, and parts of Saurashtra-Kutch such as Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Kutch, and Dwarka.
According to the IMD, the monsoon trough currently runs from Ganganagar to the northeast Bay of Bengal, with an upper-air cyclonic circulation persisting over the Bay of Bengal and adjoining Myanmar coast. A low-pressure area is also expected to form over the north Bay of Bengal within the next 24 hours, likely to enhance rainfall activity over Gujarat in the coming days.
(With inputs from IANS)