Ahmedabad: Heavy rainfall across parts of South Gujarat and Saurashtra has resulted in a highly uneven monsoon season in the state so far. Mangrol in Junagadh became the first among Gujarat’s 268 talukas to complete 100% of its seasonal rainfall on Saturday, recording 1,007mm against its annual normal of 975mm. Four other talukas — two each in Junagadh and Gir Somnath districts — have already received more than half of their seasonal rainfall during the past five days.Notably, the southwest monsoon entered South Gujarat on June 24 this year, nine days later than its normal onset date of June 15. Although the monsoon advanced rapidly across much of the state within three days, Kutch and parts of north Gujarat are yet to come under its influence, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).On Sunday, Rajula, Khambha and Liliya talukas in Amreli district recorded 216mm, 135mm and 103mm of rainfall respectively till 4pm, further boosting their position among the highest-rainfall talukas in the state. These areas have received more than one-third of their seasonal rainfall within just five days since June 30.Data show that 30 talukas have already received at least 25% of their normal seasonal rainfall in the past five days. Most of these are located in Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli, Navsari, Surat and Valsad districts. In comparison, Gujarat as a whole has so far recorded only 15% of its seasonal rainfall.“This season, several talukas have received 200mm (8.5 inches) or more rain, leading to flash floods. Despite the best efforts of authorities, such intense rainfall in a short span causes waterlogging and inundation in low-lying areas,” said a senior Met department official. “The phenomenon this year is linked to multiple weather systems interacting with the seasonal monsoon trough, particularly over South Gujarat and Saurashtra.”Experts said such rainfall distribution has become a recurring pattern in Gujarat over the past few years. According to a state govt bulletin, 597 people have been shifted to safer locations and 60 rescued across seven districts so far. IMD forecasts indicate heavy rainfall is likely to continue as active weather systems persist over these regions.In contrast, Kutch and parts of north Gujarat remain largely dry. While Kutch has received less than 1% of its seasonal rainfall, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Vav-Tharad, Gandhinagar and Aravalli have recorded below 10% of their seasonal totals so far. These regions are expected to come under monsoon coverage over the next few days.
