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A relentless spell of monsoon rainfall has severely disrupted normal life across western India, triggering intense waterlogging, stranding commuters, and leading to fatalities in parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
In Gujarat's Jamnagar district, the Dhrol area bore the brunt of the onslaught, with incessant downpours inundating multiple arterial roads. The sudden flooding left numerous vehicles, including school buses full of children, stranded on waterlogged streets, forcing residents to wade through waist-deep waters to commute. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Rajkot witnessed heavy rainfall on July 3, while thunderstorms accompanied heavy rain across parts of the region on July 4. Similar weather conditions are likely to continue on July 5. The IMD said the southwest monsoon has further advanced into additional parts of the north Arabian Sea, Gujarat, the remaining parts of Madhya Pradesh, and parts of Rajasthan and Haryana. The weather department also reported very heavy rainfall at isolated places in the districts of Valsad and Daman in south Gujarat, and in Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath, Jamnagar and Porbandar in the Saurashtra region. Meanwhile, the water level at the Gira Waterfalls in Waghai rose following continuous rainfall in the region. The situation is equally critical in neighbouring Maharashtra, where days of uninterrupted rainfall caused the Radhanagari Dam on the Bhogawati River in Kolhapur district to breach its capacity and overflow. Continuous rainfall over the past few days caused the Radhanagari Dam on the Bhogawati River in Kolhapur district to overflow. The IMD has also issued an orange nowcast warning for Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Nashik and the ghat areas of Pune, forecasting moderate to intense spells of rain at isolated places. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai recorded an average rainfall of 73 mm between 8 am and 9 pm on Friday, while the eastern suburbs received 61 mm and the western suburbs recorded 58 mm. Meanwhile, the relentless deluge across Maharashtra turned fatal in the suburbs, triggering fierce political debates over municipal accountability and pre-monsoon negligence. In the suburbs, the situation turned tragic in multiple incidents linked to the extreme weather. Several parts of Mumbai, including Dadra East and Sion Gandhi Market, faced severe waterlogging, further worsening commuter hardship and disrupting daily life. (ANI)
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