The intensity of rains may increase in Gujarat, as parts of coastal Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall for three days from July 6, an official said on Tuesday.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a cyclonic circulation lay over south Gujarat region and the neighbourhood extending up to 3.1 km above. Some districts in south Gujarat and Saurashtra are likely to receive heavy rainfall in the next five days, with very heavy to isolated extremely heavy showers on Friday, it said.
"From July 6, rainfall is likely to increase in intensity and parts of south Gujarat and coastal Saurashtra are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall. On July 7-8, parts of the state are likely to receive heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rains," said Manorama Mohanty, director of IMD Ahmedabad MeT centre.
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Amid heavy rainfall warning in the state, senior government officials met at the State Emergency Operation Center (SEOC) in Gandhinagar to review the preparedness. According to the irrigation department, out of 206 reservoirs in the state, 23 are on high alert, 15 are on alert and 10 are on warning.
Officials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said that a deployment plan has been prepared to meet the rain situation and all teams have been kept on alert mode.
Timely arrival of rainfall has prompted farmers to take up sowing of kharif crops since last week, state Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel said. Sowing was done on 40.46 lakh hectares of land till Monday, compared to 30.20 lakh hectares covered during the same period last year, he said.
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Kharif sowing has risen by 10 lakh hectares this year compared to last year due to widespread rains, he said. Cotton has been sown in 20.25 lakh hectares, compared to 15.26 lakh hectares covered last year, while groundnut has been sown on 13.28 lakh hectares this year, compared to 10.14 lakh hectares in the same period last year.
