Heavy rains lash Valsad, Navsari in Gujarat; NDRF, fire brigade kept on standby as rivers swell up

Ahmedabad: Heavy rain continued in many places in Valsad district in south Gujarat on Monday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stating that these parts would continue to get heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next two days. [caption id=“attachment_6900321” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] Vapi taluka in Valsad received 359 millimetres of rain in a 24-hour period till Monday morning, while Umargam got 356 mm, and Khergam in neighbouring Navsari district received 208 mm, data provided by the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) showed. Between 6 am and 6 pm on Monday, Umargam in Valsad received 83 mm rainfall, while Kaprada in the same district received 37 mm rainfall, it said. Most districts in Gujarat received rainfall in 24 hours till Monday morning, the SEOC said, except Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha and Patan. The IMD said monsoon has now become active over the entire Gujarat region. Kutch district, however, remained dry and is likely to remain so in coming days, it informed. Heavy rainfall in Valsad threw life out of gear with several areas in the district getting water-logged, causing difficulty for commuters and residents of low-lying areas. Several check dams and lakes have started overflowing while Auranga and Par rivers have swelled, district officials said, adding that NDRF and fire brigade teams have been kept on stand-by. The IMD said upper air cyclonic circulation over north and south Gujarat regions and neighbouring areas persisted, causing heavy rains in many areas.