Ahmedabad: The rain god seems to be in ‘no mercy’ mood for the Khelaiyas or Garba-participants in Gujarat as downpours across several parts of the state continued on the fourth consecutive day of Narratri disrupting this most colorful festival to a big extent.

Even as rain lashed 181 talukas of 32 districts (of the total 33) in the last 24 hours forcing many Garba events to cancellation including the main state event of Vibrant Navratri in Ahmedabad, Many parts of the state including Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Kutch, Surat, Navsari, Banaskantha etc received moderate to heavy rains again today. In the last 24 hours maximum 95 mm of rain was recorded in Botad.
What is more is that the met department has issued fresh warning of heavy rains at many places across the state especially in Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the next two days.

Director of Met Center in Ahmedabad, Jayanta Sarkar said that rains are in fact likely to continue for three to four more days under the effect of upper air circulation over North Konkan and Goa, adjoining Gujarat and parts of South West Madhya Pradesh.

Owing to this unusual rain during this period of the year (though it is common for a La Nina year like 2016) water level in many dams across the state has surged while some in Saurashtra were close to overflow.

At some places despite water logging at the venue people participated in Garbas last evening. Owing to continuous rains and water logging thus caused Garba seems impossible tonight, the fourth night of Navratri which is of 10 days (Oct 1 to 10) this year instead of usual nine owing to the first tithi (Pratipada) being on two days.

Meanwhile at least three lives have also been lost in the rain related incidents across the state in last 24 hours. The body of one Kanjibhai (42) who was washed away in a river in Jadakala village under Jesar police station of Bhavnagar district which had surged owing to sudden rain, was recovered today. Two people one each in Morbi and Ahmedabad died of lightening.

Rain though has caused great disappointment among the younger people mostly city-dwellers and loss to related business to some extent so far yet it is termed quite beneficial for the Cotton and Groundnut crops as well as good for the fodder production for the coming season.

DeshGujarat