Gandhinagar, Aug 19 (IANS) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a forecast of extremely heavy rainfall in parts of Gujarat over the next two days.
According to the advisory, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Surat, Navsari, and Valsad districts are likely to witness very heavy rain on August 20, while Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, and Junagadh may experience similar conditions on August 21.
The IMD has further predicted moderate to heavy rainfall across the state until August 25.
A meeting of the Weather Watch Group, chaired by the Relief Commissioner at SEOC Gandhinagar, reviewed the situation.
IMD officials provided a detailed outlook for the coming week, while disaster management agencies outlined preparedness measures.
NDRF officials informed that 12 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 20 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed across districts, with one NDRF team kept in reserve.
An additional SDRF unit has been assigned for crowd management during the Tarnetar fair in Surendranagar.
Officials from the irrigation department shared data on water storage across 206 reservoirs in the state, noting that 61 are on ‘high alert’, 27 are on ‘alert’, and 21 are at the ‘warning’ level. Updates on the Sardar Sarovar Dam’s storage levels were also presented.
The Relief Commissioner instructed all departmental nodal officers to remain vigilant and ensure effective coordination in case of emergencies during the ongoing monsoon.
Representatives from the Gujarat Water Supply Board, Gujarat Maritime Board, Central Water Commission, ISRO, GSRTC, Agriculture, Health, Roads and Buildings, Energy, Indian Army, Panchayat, Urban Development, and Animal Husbandry departments attended the meeting.
As of August 18–19, 2025, Gujarat has received about 68.91 per cent of its average seasonal monsoon rainfall, with widespread showers over the past week pushing up water levels in major dams and reservoirs.
Since 2020, Gujarat’s rainfall pattern has become increasingly erratic, marked by fewer rainy days but far more intense downpours. In 2023, Cyclone Biparjoy devastated crops across 1.3 lakh hectares, while in 2024 the state saw an unprecedented 66 extremely heavy rainfall events, double the previous year, with Cyclone Asna pushing seasonal rain up to 180 per cent of normal in some districts and rapidly filling reservoirs.
The trend intensified in 2025, when Gujarat recorded 20 times more rain than usual in May and 161 per cent excess rainfall in June, breaking a 44-year record, with Kutch alone receiving 184 per cent of its seasonal average.
As of mid-2025, the state had already logged 30 per cent of its monsoon quota – the fastest start in a decade – and the IMD projects above-normal rains through August, underlining how climate change is driving short, sharp, and disruptive rainfall episodes rather than steady monsoons.
–IANS
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