Vadodara: As Barodians try to get back to normal life after the heavy rains that led to flooding in the Vishwamitri River last week, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Vadodara for the next two days. Panchmahal district is also under an orange alert, but only for the next 24 hours.

According to the IMD’s latest bulletin, heavy to very heavy rains are likely to occur in Vadodara and Panchmahal, which is why they have been put on orange alert for the next 24 hours, ending at 8:30 am on September 3.

After that, only Vadodara will remain under an orange alert on September 3rd as it is likely to experience heavy to very heavy rains, while Panchmahal will be under a yellow warning for heavy rains till 8.30 am on Sept 4.

What does the orange alert mean in terms of rain?

An orange alert for likely heavy to very heavy rain is issued when the IMD predicts that the area will witness significant rainfall. According to IMD standards, heavy rain ranges from 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm, which means if the recorded rainfall is 2.5 to 4.5 inches, it is classified as heavy rain. Meanwhile, very heavy rain is defined as rainfall ranging from 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm, i.e., 4.6 inches to 8 inches.

Should Barodians be concerned?

The water level of Ajwa Reservoir is at 212.08 feet as of 16:47 hours pm 2nd September today, which is around 2 feet below the danger mark of 214 feet. On the other hand, the water level of the Vishwamitri River at Kalaghoda Bridge is 14.73 feet, which is more than 11 feet below the danger mark of 26 feet. The rainfall in upstream areas and within the city need to be monitored however.