As flood waters receded on Sunday in the rain-battered Junagadh district of Gujarat a day after torrential rains, the focus now was on restoring normalcy, officials said, adding nearly 3,000 people have been shifted to safer places in the district. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued an ‘orange’ alert for Gujarat, saying the state was expected to receive “heavy to very heavy rainfall” on July 24.
It also predicted heavy to very heavy rains at a few places with isolated extremely heavy rainfall in Devbhumi Dwarka, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Valsad districts in the next 24 hours.
Junagadh city recorded 241 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 6 am on Sunday, causing waterlogging in several parts, leaving damaged cars piled on each other and carcasses of cattle swept away in flash floods, officials said.
Two national highways, 10 state highways and 300 rural roads were closed in Gujarat on Saturday due to flooding, and the traffic resumed at places where water receded, they said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel regarding flood-like situation in various parts of the state due to the recent heavy rainfall.