Gujarat: Rains lead to closure of 18 roads including two state highways; IMD predicts more showers over next 4 days

Ahmedabad: Heavy rains in several parts of Gujarat in the last two days led to the closure of 18 roads, including two state highways, for traffic due to water-logging and damage, officials from the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) said on Friday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its forecast issued during the day, has predicted light to moderate rainfall in most parts of Gujarat during the next four days and has warned that some areas in north Gujarat, Saurashtra and south Gujarat could receive heavy to very heavy rains during this period. An SEOC release said 18 roads, comprising two state highways passing through Amreli and Porbandar districts and 16 panchayat roads in rural areas, were shut on Friday due to water-logging or rain-related damage. The release informed that several areas, mostly in the state’s northern region, received heavy to moderate rainfall in a 24-hour period ending at 6 am on Friday, with Talod taluka in Sabarkantha district getting the highest rainfall at 92 millimetres. Talod was followed by Meghraj in Arvalli (90 mm), Dehgam in Gandhinagar (78 mm), Unjha in Mehsana (78 mm) and Siddhpur in Patan district (62 mm), it said. Between 6 am and 2 pm on Friday, several areas in north Gujarat got rains, mainly Sabarkantha and Banaskantha, with Vijaynagar taluka in Sabarkantha receiving 80 mm, followed by Vadgam (79 mm), Danta (79 mm), Palanpur (77 mm) and Deesa (76 mm), all in Banaskantha, Umerpada in Surat (71 mm) and Halvad in Morbi district (70 mm).