by: Nav Jeevan

Gujarat exceeds average monsoon season expectations by 101.08 percent

  •  People affected by sudden release of water from Sardar Sarovar Dam yet to receive relief: Congress
  • Three districts of Gujarat are still rain deficient as per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)’s latest data

 NE NEWS SERVICE

GANDHINAGAR, SEPT 20

It never rains but pours holds true for Gujarat. The state has been bearing the nature’s fury in the form of cyclone and monsoon floods this year. Farmers, fishermen and the coastal districts were the most affected.

Gujarat has recorded a total of 886.03 mm of rainfall as on Wednesday, surpassing the average monsoon season expectations by 101.08 per cent. However, three districts of Gujarat are still rain deficient as per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)’s latest data.

These three districts are Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Vadodara. The deficit of rainfall in Vaddoara and Gandhinarar is -22 percent each while in the case of Ahmedabad district it is minus 21 percent.

The diverse regions of Gujarat have experienced varying degrees of rainfall during this season, painting a picture of contrasting climatic conditions. The rainfall is still going on in some parts of the state.

Cumulative rainfall figures for prominent districts in Gujarat stand as follows: Ahmedabad at 71.71 per cent, Surat at 86.04 per cent, Vadodara at 77.93 per cent, and Rajkot at 120.82 per cent.

The Kutch region has witnessed 158.73 per cent of rainfall. Saurashtra follows closely behind at 119.68 per cent, while East Central Gujarat has witnessed 96.11 per cent of its expected rainfall. The North Gujarat region is not far behind at 95.52 per cent, and South Gujarat currently stands at 88.31 per cent of its average monsoon rainfall.

Anjar taluka in Kutch has witnessed the highest percentage of rainfall, standing at a 219.15 per cent.

Junagadh has witnessed 167.78 per cent of the total monsoon average while Kutch witnessed 158.73 per cent which is closely followed by Gir Somnath at 137.99 per cent.

Ahmedabad district has witnessed 71.71 per cent of the total monsoon average, marking it as the district with the lowest recorded percentage of rainfall thus far.

 

 People affected by sudden release of water from Sardar Sarovar Dam yet to receive relief: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday alleged the recent flood-like situation in Bharuch and Narmada districts was “man-made” and occurred due to gross negligence by authorities managing the Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSD), a charge rejected by the ruling BJP.

A delegation of senior Congress leaders visited the two districts in south Gujarat and claimed that affected people are still awaiting assistance from the government.

The Congress alleged houses and properties of thousands of families in the affected parts of the two districts were damaged after “over 18 lakh cusec water” was released suddenly from the dam on September 17 due to “the BJP government’s urge to please Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday.” Cusec is a measure of the flow rate of water and is an abbreviation for cubic feet per second (which is equivalent to a flow of 28.317 litres per second).

“The flood-like situation created in the districts of Bharuch and Narmada was man-made and due to gross negligence on the part of the authorities managing the Sardar Sarovar dam,” the party said in a statement.

The delegation comprised the leader of the Congress legislative party Amit Chavda, deputy leader Shailesh Parmar, state working president Himmatsinh Patel, and senior leader Tushar Chaudhary.

The ruling BJP, however, has refuted the allegations saying the dam, situated near Ekta Nagar in Narmada district, received an unprecedented amount of water within just 36 hours from the upstream, which forced authorities to release 18 lakh cusecs of water into the downstream on September 17.