At least 20 people have been killed in lightning strikes and crops damaged in several areas after unseasonal rains hit Gujarat on Sunday. Out of which, four people died in Dahod district , three in Bharuch, two in Tapi, and one in each in Ahmedabad, Amreli, Banaskantha, Botad, Kheda, Mehsana, Panchmahal, Sabarkantha, Surat, Surendranagar, and Devbhumi Dwarka, according to State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). Yesterday, eight people were killed in lightning strikes as the state received widespread unseasonal rains accompanied by thunderstorms.
A 22-year-old biker died in Botad taluka after being struck by lightning, while a 29-year-old man died after a tree fell on an autorickshaw in Mehsana district. Two farmers died in the Tapi district, and one each in Sabarkantha, Ahmedabad, Mehsana, and Dahod districts in lightning strikes that accompanied the rains. In some places, sheep and cattle were also victim to lightning strikes. 220 of 251 talukas of Gujarat received up to 50 mm of rainfall in 10 hours since 6 am on Sunday. Whereas Ahmedabad city received 15 mm of rainfall yesterday. The unseasonal rainfall has been caused due to a cyclonic circulation lying over the northeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Saurashtra and Kutch regions, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
According to officials, 23 people were reported to be injured and 29 houses were damaged. As per the data maintained by the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), as of Monday afternoon, 71 animals also died due to lightning strikes in Gujarat. Until 12 pm on Monday, Kukarmunda in Tapi recorded the highest of 36 mm followed by Navsari 20 mm and Chikhli 17 mm in Navsari district. According to SEOC data, Gujarat’s Surat, Surendranagar, Kheda, Tapi, Bharuch and Amreli districts recorded 50-117 mm rainfall in 16 hours. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said the rain activity is expected to subside on Monday.
IMD’s Ahmedabad centre director Manorama Mohanty said rains will abate on Monday and remain concentrated in some parts of south Gujarat and Saurashtra districts. IMD has issued a rainfall alert for various regions in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and southwest Madhya Pradesh for the early hours of Monday. The Met Department also anticipated light to moderate rainfall. in isolated areas of Punjab, Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh. Expressing his grief over the tragic loss of life, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured that the local administration is actively engaged in relief and rescue operations. Amit Shah wrote in Gujarati, “I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of many people due to bad weather and lightning in various cities of Gujarat.
I express my deepest condolences for the irreparable loss to those who lost their loved ones in this tragedy. The local administration is engaged in relief work, praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.” on X (Formerly Twitter). The Indian Meterological Department (IMD) said a cyclonic circulation is positioned over northeast Arabian Sea, extending its influence over the Saurashtra and Kutch regions. The rainfall also affected the ceramic industry of Morbi district in Saurashtra region as factories were forced to remain shut. Gujarat Agriculture Minister Raghavij Patel has announced plans for a comprehensive survey to assess the extent of the damage to the crops and livestock and to provide compensation to the affected persons based on the survey’s findings. The India Meteorological Department has predicted largely clear conditions for the state on Monday, with some rain concentrated in Surat, Navsari and Valsad in south Gujarat. These districts have been placed under a “yellow” category weather alert, indicating moderately intense rainfall. The weather department attributed the rains to a western disturbance passing over parts of west and north India.
These disturbances are low-pressure systems that form over the Mediterranean Sea and gather moisture as they move eastward toward India. “Unlike typical monsoon showers, the thunderstorms in Gujarat occurred due to convective activity as warm air from the land interacted with the cooler, moisture-bearing air coming from the ocean,” a met department official said. “The resulting rains got dumped over parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Western disturbances are not uncommon at this time of the year.” True To Life expresses sorrow and offers deep condolensces to all the families of the people who were victims to the lightning strikes.
Source : Times of India, Scroll, Indian Express, The Hindu etc.
By Soujanya Das Roy From Kolkata Reporting for True To Life