Heavy rain continues to lash Gujarat, causing road closures, flooding in cities

Valsad (Gujarat) [India], July 2 (ANI): Heavy rain continued to lash many parts of Gujarat on Tuesday, causing waterlogging, traffic snarls, and road closures.
One of the affected cities is Valsad, where two main underpasses are closed due to flooding.
According to officials, the city received 3.45 inches of rain in just two hours on Tuesday morning, resulting in severe flooding in several areas.
The police have closed the underpasses by placing barricades, and there is waterlogging on the service road of National Highway 48 in the city.
In Junagadh district, many roads, including two national highways, were closed on Monday due to heavy rain. District authorities reported that three state highways, six major district connecting roads, and 40 panchayat roads have been closed due to flooding.
"Three state highways in Junagadh have been closed. Once the water level goes down, the situation will be under control. In low-lying areas, we have issued alerts and closed waterlogged roads," said JP Zala, Junagadh Deputy Collector.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that on July 2, parts of south Gujarat and Saurashtra may receive very heavy rains in isolated places, while heavy rain will lash several parts of north Gujarat, central Gujarat, and the Saurashtra region.
On July 3, very heavy rains are expected in Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Daman, and Dadra Nagar Haveli.
The state is experiencing a wet spell due to two cyclonic circulations over the north and south of the state, according to the IMD.
The IMD issued a 'red alert' for several districts in the state on Tuesday, predicting extremely heavy rain in Surat, Navsari, and Valsad in south Gujarat, as well as Jamnagar, Porbandar, Junagadh, Dwarka, and Kutch in the Saurashtra-Kutch region.
In three days of continuous rain, many roads in the state have been damaged. On Sunday, a massive sinkhole resembling a meteor crater formed when a portion of a road caved in during heavy rainfall at Shela in Ahmedabad Smart City. A video on social media shows the road caving in with water flowing into the large cavity.
Waterlogging was reported in several places in Ahmedabad following heavy rainfall, with reports of uprooted trees damaging vehicles in KK Nagar, Ahmedabad.
Earlier on Saturday, part of the canopy collapsed at the passenger pickup and drop-off area of Rajkot airport. According to Ministry of Civil Aviation sources, the canopy broke during maintenance work to push out accumulated water. No one was injured in the incident, and a detailed report has been sought. (ANI)