Rajkot/Bhuj : Torrential rains lashed parts of Saurashtra and Kutch on Aug 29th night and early on Aug 30th morning with Upleta in Rajkot district recording maximum rainfall at 214 mm. While there were no reports of heavy rainfall on Aug 30, the state met department in the evening predicted heavy to very heavy rains, with isolated extremely heavy rainfall, in Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the next 36 hours.

According to the state meteorological department, in the past 24 hours Kutiyana in Porbandar district and Dhoraji in Rajkot district were at second and third places to have received maximum rainfall of 150 mm and 139 mm respectively, while Sutrapada in Junagadh district was the fourth town with maximum rainfall at 110 mm.

In Kutch, 22 mm rainfall was recorded from Gandhidham, 45 mm in Bhachau and 30 mm in Rapar. The rains were followed by storm that uprooted many trees and destroyed roofs of the houses in the district. Bhuj recorded 22mm, Mandvi, 72 mm and Nakhatrana 45 mm, rainfall in past 24 hours.

The rainfall recorded from different cities across Saurashtra in the past 24 hours include Wankaner (68 mm), Rajkot (93 mm), Paddhari (93 mm), Bhensan (76 mm), Kalawad (63) Jasdan (63 mm), Jamnagar (53 mm), Lodhika (40 mm), and Gondal (17 mm).

In a situation akin to a cloud burst, Dhoraji received 130 mm of rainfall in just one 1.25 hour on Aug 29th afternoon. According to Dhoraji Mamlatdar office, the rain that started at 4.30 pm caused a flood like situation in the town.

"Residents in low lying areas including Soni Bazar, Nadi Bazaar, Tran Darwaja, Station Road and Fareni Road had to be shifted to safer places as four to five feet water had flooded their houses. In Nadi Bazaar, water had seeped into about 100 shops, incurring heavy business loss," said an official from Mamlatdar office.

Incessant rains in the past 48 hours compelled the irrigation department to open 18 gates of Machchu-2 dam in Morbi on Aug 30. "The gates had to be opened as 466.3 cusecs of water was released from Machchu-1 dam on Sunday night," said an official from the irrigation department.