Heavy rainfall is being received at several places in south Gujarat and Saurashtra for the past few days, but rains continue to elude several districts. More than three weeks after monsoon arrived in the state, as many as nine districts are yet to receive even one-tenth of the season's average rainfall.
Kutch, which received 417 mm average annual rainfall between 1988 and 2017, has received only 5 mm average rainfall this season as of Friday, ie just 1.30 per cent of the average. Four talukas in Kutch have recorded zero rainfall, according to a State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) report.
Devbhumi Dwarka and Surendranagar districts of Saurashtra have received 2.3 per cent and 4.2 per cent of the average annual rainfall of the last 30 years so far.
Ahmedabad district, where average annual rainfall over the past 30 years was 714 mm, has received 56 mm rain as of Friday. Ahmedabad city has recorded 91 mm rainfall, which is 11 per cent of the average 803 mm rainfall.
The two north Gujarat districts of Mehsana and Patan have recorded 8.8 per cent and 9.06 per cent rainfall so far.
For the whole state, the average rainfall between 1988 and 2017 was 831 mm, while the average rainfall this year has been 222 mm so far, ie 26.70 per cent of the long period average.
A senior government official said, "There is forecast of good rainfall, and we believe the overall situation will get better."
On the other side of the spectrum, Valsad and Navsari in south Gujarat have received 54 per cent and 52 per cent of average rainfall so far. Dang, the state's southernmost district, has received 42.5 per cent, while the figure is 41.5 per cent and 40 per cent for Surat and Tapi respectively.
