Heavy rain continued to impact large parts of the country on Saturday (July 25), with Gujarat witnessing fresh cloudbursts in parts of Patan district, Kashmir remaining on flood watch despite easing river levels, and Rajasthan recording intense monsoon showers.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a low-pressure area has formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal near the West Bengal-Odisha coast, warning of widespread heavy rain over eastern India through Monday (July 27). The weather office has also issued red and orange alerts for several districts in Gujarat, while authorities across affected states intensified rescue, relief and restoration efforts.
Red and orange alerts for Gujarat
In Gujarat, Santalpur and Radhanpur talukas in Patan district recorded exceptionally heavy rainfall in the 24 hours ending 6 am on Saturday, receiving 381 mm and 342 mm respectively. Bhabhar in the Vav-Tharad region received 287 mm during the same period.
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According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), rainfall was recorded across 34 districts during the period. Relief agencies remained on high alert as heavy rain warnings continue for the state.
The IMD has issued a red alert for Surendranagar, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Mahisagar and Aravalli districts, while Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Morbi, Rajkot and several other districts are under an orange alert for Saturday, with forecasts of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds. Rainfall activity is expected to ease from Sunday, although an orange alert remains in place for parts of Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Mehsana and Bhavnagar.
Rescue operations underway
Rescue and relief operations continued across Gujarat, with 18 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 32 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) deployed in affected districts. Army and Coast Guard personnel have also joined operations in several locations. In Ahmedabad’s Dholka taluka, an NDRF team rescued 103 people stranded in floodwaters, while another operation in Navsari district saw 120 people rescued and 43 evacuated from flooded villages.
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Two bodies were also recovered during operations in Navsari. In Patan district’s Chhansara village, 35 people from 10 families were shifted to safer locations after floodwaters disrupted road connectivity. Officials said more than 40,000 people had already been moved to safer places over the past two days, while another 2,637 people were rescued.
Five days of rains in Valley
In Jammu and Kashmir, intermittent rainfall continued for the fifth consecutive day, although officials said the flood threat has eased as river and stream levels have started falling. The Jhelum River at Munshibagh in Srinagar remained marginally above the flood declaration mark at 18.15 feet on Saturday afternoon, while levels at Sangam in Anantnag dropped below the warning threshold.
Following continuous heavy rainfall in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts, multiple gates of the Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project Dam on the Chenab River were opened to regulate rising inflow and safely discharge excess water.
The Meteorological Department said the ongoing spell of rain is likely to ease later on Saturday, though light to moderate showers and thunderstorms are expected across the Valley between July 28 and 31. It has cautioned that flash floods, landslides and mudslides remain possible at vulnerable locations over the next five days.
As a precaution, the Amarnath Yatra has been temporarily suspended from the Pahalgam route to facilitate repair and restoration works damaged by recent rains. Pilgrimage will continue through the Baltal route, where authorities have strengthened arrangements. Officials said more than 3.95 lakh pilgrims have visited the holy cave shrine so far this year.
Widespread rain in Rajasthan
Rajasthan also continued to receive widespread monsoon rainfall. Abu Road in Sirohi district recorded the state’s highest rainfall at 203 mm in the 24 hours ending Saturday morning. The IMD has issued an orange alert for Sirohi and Jalore districts, forecasting more heavy showers, while a yellow alert remains in force for the rest of the state.
IMD forecast
The IMD has also warned of heavy rainfall across Odisha and adjoining eastern India after a low-pressure area formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal near the West Bengal-Odisha coast. The system is expected to intensify over the next two days, bringing widespread rain until Monday.
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Orange alerts have been issued for Cuttack, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal and Angul districts, while yellow warnings cover 16 other districts. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea between July 25 and 27 due to very rough sea conditions and strong winds of up to 50 kmph.
Rain-related incidents
Elsewhere, a domesticated elephant swept downstream from Nagaland into Assam during floods was safely rescued and is undergoing treatment, while in Sikkim, two workers lost their lives and four others were seriously injured after a fresh landslide struck a road-clearing site in Namchi district, underscoring the continuing risks posed by the active monsoon across several parts of the country.
(With agency inputs)
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