Rajkot: The much-awaited monsoon finally arrived in Saurashtra on Thursday night, bringing widespread rainfall across the region. But the long-pending showers disrupted life to a great extent with two rain related deaths reported from Amreli district.In a tragic incident, a three-year-old girl drowned in the floodwaters at Malaviya Pipariya village in Lathi taluka on Friday. Fire brigade personnel recovered her body after an extensive search operation that lasted well over four hours. The authorities also discovered a body of a man near Krushnagadh village of Lathi taluka, who was possibly a migrant labourer, but his identity is yet to be confirmed.Floodwaters entered residential and commercial properties in Liliya town after the Navli river overflowed. An autorickshaw was swept away by floodwaters whose passengers were rescued by residents. A local train was halted near Liliya after water submerged the railway tracks, while traffic on the Pipavav-Mahuva-Bhavnagar Highway was severely affected due to waterlogging.Heavy waterlogging also disrupted normal life in Amreli town, prompting authorities to declare a holiday for schools and colleges. Knee-deep water accumulated at Jivraj Chowk, while traffic came to a standstill after underpasses were inundated. The Amreli-Bagasara National Highway was closed until floodwaters receded. Several houses in parts of Bagasara town were also flooded.In Rajkot city, several areas experienced power outages, with electricity remaining disrupted for nearly 12 hours in the outskirts. But residents largely welcomed the season’s first significant showers that caused limited waterlogging unlike cities across South Gujarat. The moderate intensity of the rainfall allowed normal life to continue with minimal disruption. Waterlogging was reported from areas such as Raiya Chowkdi, Ramapir Chowkdi, Mavdi and Kalawad Road. Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) officials said that apart from a few incidents of uprooted trees, no major complaints were received at its control room.Heavy to very heavy rainfall lashed several talukas of Rajkot district, including Dhoraji, Jam Kandorna, Jetpur, Kotda Sangani and Jasdan.In Surendranagar district, Dasada taluka received significant rainfall, leading to heavy waterlogging on Bajana-Patdi Road and causing long traffic snarls. According to sources, the road connecting Dasada to Kharaghoda was washed away, cutting off access. As many as 42 people stranded in a low-lying area of Hebatpur village in Patdi taluka, including a pregnant woman, were evacuated by the district administration teams.Heavy rainfall was also reported in several villages of Jamnagar district. A car was swept away in the turbulent waters and two cows were electrocuted near Khodiyar Colony.In Morbi district’s Wankaner taluka, a highway was waterlogged.
