No respite from rain for Saurashtra, north Gujarat

Rajkot: There is no respite from unseasonal rainfall that has been lashing Gujarat for the past one month now.

On Wednesday, rain and hail were reported from several parts of Rajkot, Amreli, Surendranagar, Morbi, Botad and Jamnagar districts and parts of north Gujarat. The wet weather has only compounded the troubles of farmers who have suffered excessive damage to their crop.

Hailstorm accompanied by rain pounded Dhrangadhra of Surendranagar and Halvad of Morbi districts on Wednesday evening while Wankaner in Morbi district also experienced heavy showers.

Dhrangadhra taluka recorded 60 mm of rainfall in its villages namely Kondh and Shapakada. In Halvad taluka, hailstorm lashed Tiker Rann and Juna Katila villages.

In Jasdan taluka of Rajkot district, 25 mm of rainfall was recorded in Jasdan, Vadod, Bhadali and Jangwad villages. In Gondal taluka of Rajkot district, 25 mm of rainfall was recorded in Keshvala and Mehta Khambhaliya.

“The unseasonal rains have destroyed the crops of wheat, cotton, ground nuts and cumin seeds,” said an official from Rajkot district administration.

In Banaskantha, hailstorm lashed Tharad, Vav, Suigam, Tharad and Deodar. However, there was no rain or hailstorm in Patan.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin stated that the precipitation is being caused by an induced cyclonic circulation over south west Rajasthan and neighbourhood and extends up to 1.5 Km above the sea level.

According to the forecast issued by the weather department, light to moderate rain or thunder showers are very likely at isolated places in Banaskantha, Patan and Ahmedabad, Kutch, Amreli and Bhavnagar till November 15.