Heavy rains lash south Guj areas, Vapi gets 184 mm in 4 hours

Heavy showers lashed parts of south Gujarat Sunday inundating many areas in Vapi and in Umergam in Valsad district, which affected the normal life.

Vapi received nearly 184 mm rainfall in just four hours between 4 am and 8 am, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

Met department has warned of heavy rains at isolated places in Valsad, Navsari and in Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli on Monday.

With Damanganga, Auranga and Kolak rivers in south Gujarat in spate, an alert was issued for the residents of low-lying areas, especially in Vapi, where several areas got flooded as a result of high tide in the Arabian sea blocking the passage of the rain water into Kolak river, officials said.

Damanganga river received water from the Madhuban dam in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli at the rate of nearly 1.5 lakh Cusecs (cubic feet per second), which flooded low-lying areas along the river, they said, adding that rescue teams were put on standby.

However, the situation returned to normalcy after the tide receded later in the day.

"Vapi and Valsad received heavy rains between 4 and 8 am today. Water level in Kolak river in Vapi district rose significantly as water could not escape into the sea due to high tide in the morning hours. The situation returned to normal after the tide receded," said Valsad Collector C R Kharsan.

He said a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was dispatched to Vapi to carry out relief and rescue operations, if needed.

Incidents of water-logging were reported from many parts of Valsad district, including Umergam, which affected the normal life.

Meanwhile, as per SEOC, Gujarat has received 185.4 mm rainfall, which is 22.72 per cent of the average total seasonal rainfall so far. At 826 mm, Valsad district has so far received the highest rainfall in the season, followed by Navsari at 555 mm, it said.

The met department said rains were received at many places in south Gujarat whereas heavy to very heavy rainfall occurred in Valsad, Surat, Kheda, Anand, and Bharuch districts.

The IMD said the morning's cyclonic circulation over south Gujarat region and neighbourhood persisted at 3.1 km above the mean sea level.