All primary schools in Gujarat will remain closed on Tuesday, August 27, due to heavy rainfall, State Education Minister Praful Pansheriya said. Several hundred people have been shifted to safety in Valsad and Navsari - two of the worst hit districts of Gujarat - as heavy rains lashed state's south on Saturday and Sunday, officials said.
Incessant rains in the past 48 hours ending Sunday inundated low-lying areas, disrupting normal life and traffic movement, officials said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast of 'heavy to very heavy' rain at a few places with isolated 'extremely heavy' rain in south Gujarat districts, including Vadodara, Surat, Bharuch, Navsari, Valsad, and in Amreli and Bhavnagar in Saurashtra region till Tuesday morning.
The IMD also forecast 'heavy to very heavy' rain with isolated 'extremely heavy' rain in Anand, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Morbi, Dwarka and Kutch districts on Tuesday.
As per data from the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), Vapi taluka in Valsad district received 326 millimetres rainfall in a 24-hour period till 6 am on Sunday, the highest in the state, while Khergam in Navsari got 248 mm since 6 am.
Districts like Surat, Tapi and Narmada have also been severely affected due to heavy rains, officials said.
More than 600 persons living in low-lying areas in Valsad were relocated to safety due to heavy rains, they added.
As per SEOC data, Gujarat's north and east central regions have received low rainfall compared to the southern part and Saurashtra-Kutch.
IMD on Monday said a deep depression over northwest Madhya Pradesh and adjoining east Rajasthan is expected to bring "extremely heavy rainfall" in parts of the two states along with Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra over the next two to three days.
At 11:30 pm on August 25, the deep depression laid centred near 70 km south-southeast of Rajasthan's Chittorgarh, the IMD said, adding that this system is expected to move west-southwest, affecting southern part of the state and Gujarat.
It is expected to reach Saurashtra, Kutch, and parts of Pakistan by August 29, the IMD said in an update issued at 2 am.
