Gandhinagar, July 7 (IANS) Gujarat witnessed widespread monsoon rainfall over the past 24 hours, with South Gujarat and parts of Saurashtra receiving some of the heaviest showers, prompting authorities to maintain a high level of preparedness as reservoirs continue to fill and disaster response teams remain deployed across the state.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) in Gandhinagar, light to heavy rainfall was recorded in 225 talukas across 34 districts during the 24 hours ending on Tuesday morning.

Vapi taluka in Valsad district recorded the state’s highest rainfall, with more than 8 inches, while Pardi and Umargam in the same district each recorded more than 6 inches.

Kamrej taluka in Surat district and Ghogha taluka in Bhavnagar district also recorded more than six inches of rainfall.

Gujarat’s cumulative seasonal rainfall had reached 20.44 per cent of the long-term average as of 6 a.m. on July 7. Saurashtra has recorded the highest regional rainfall so far this monsoon at 26.79 per cent of the seasonal average, followed by South Gujarat at 24.98 per cent.

North and Central Gujarat have received 15.20 per cent, North Gujarat 11.99 per cent, while Kutch has recorded the lowest rainfall at 1.92 per cent.

The continued rainfall has also improved water storage levels across the state. As of 8 a.m., the Sardar Sarovar (Narmada) Dam held 2.17 lakh million cubic feet (MCFT) of water, equivalent to around 65 per cent of its total storage capacity.

The state’s remaining 206 reservoirs were collectively filled to 40.01 per cent of their combined storage capacity.

The SEOC said the rise in reservoir levels has led authorities to place 11 dams on High Alert, four on Alert, and seven on Warning status, in accordance with reservoir monitoring protocols.

The state government said administrative authorities have shifted 1,528 people to safer locations since the onset of the monsoon on June 1, while 134 people have been rescued from rain-related situations.

A total of 36 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed across districts to respond to any emergencies arising from the ongoing monsoon.

–IANS

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