Gujarat: Red Alert for Heavy Rain, Schools and Colleges Shut in Ahmedabad

The Ahmedabad district administration has ordered the closure of all government, grant-aided and self-financed schools and colleges in the city on Friday, after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall across Ahmedabad and several districts of central and south Gujarat.

The weather department has urged residents to step out only if absolutely necessary and to follow the guidelines issued by local authorities.

13 districts under red alert

According to the IMD, a red alert has been declared for 13 districts — Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Anand, Bharuch, Narmada, Chhota Udepur, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi, Dang, Bhavnagar and Botad. An orange alert has been issued for Gandhinagar, Kheda, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Amreli, Dahod, Panchmahal and Mahisagar, while a yellow alert is in force for the remaining districts of north Gujarat and Kutch.

Red alert to continue into Saturday

The weather department has said the red alert for Ahmedabad will remain in effect on 1 August as well. Extremely heavy rainfall is also expected in Rajkot, Surendranagar and Anand.

20.18 inches of rain so far this season

According to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's main control room, the city had recorded an average of 512.53 mm (20.18 inches) of rainfall this monsoon season as of Thursday afternoon — 56.06 per cent of the average seasonal rainfall over the past five years.

Fears of waterlogging and flood-like conditions

The IMD has warned that heavy rainfall could cause waterlogging on major city roads, flood-like conditions in low-lying areas, traffic jams, fallen trees and hoardings, damage to old buildings, and disruption to power and water supply services. There is also a risk of lightning strikes. Rising river levels could affect fishing activity in coastal areas, while kharif crops and livestock in nearby rural areas may also be at risk. The administration has appealed to residents to stay away from waterlogged areas, avoid unnecessary travel, and contact local authorities immediately in case of emergency.

Officials' leave cancelled

With heavy to very heavy rainfall forecast across several parts of the state between 31 July and 2 August, the Gujarat government has put its administrative machinery on alert. Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Dr Jayanti Ravi held a review meeting via video conference with collectors of the 13 affected districts at the State Emergency Operation Centre, directing them to cancel officials' leave with immediate effect, keep control rooms operational round the clock, and ensure a Class-1 officer is on monitoring duty in every district. NDRF and SDRF teams have been asked to be deployed in low-lying and vulnerable areas as needed.