Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Tuesday, 7 July directed all district administrations across Gujarat to maintain round-the-clock alert, deploy disaster response teams immediately, and ensure prompt evacuation of residents from flood-prone zones as heavy to extremely heavy rainfall continued to batter several parts of the state. The directives followed a high-level review meeting chaired by Sanghavi in Gandhinagar.

Key Directives from the Review Meeting

The meeting, conducted via video conference, brought together Collectors, Superintendents of Police, District Development Officers, and Municipal Commissioners from 15 districts — including Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Bhavnagar, Dahod, Panchmahal, Mahisagar, Mehsana, Surendranagar, Ahmedabad, Amreli, Dang, Tapi, Junagadh, and Gir Somnath.

Sanghavi instructed all district control rooms to remain operational 24 hours a day and directed officials to deploy teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) without delay, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone localities. Authorities were also told to shift residents from waterlogging-risk zones to safer shelters and ensure adequate supply of food, drinking water, and medical facilities for those displaced.

What the Government Said

'The state government is continuously monitoring the situation. The safety and convenience of citizens during any disaster is the government's highest priority. All necessary arrangements have been made to ensure that district administrations coordinate effectively and provide a swift response,' Sanghavi said during the meeting.

Officials were additionally tasked with continuous monitoring of roads, electricity supply, and communication networks to minimise disruption to daily life during the ongoing rainfall spell.

Power Restoration in Amreli and Gir Somnath

Heavy rainfall caused significant disruption to electricity supply in 88 villages in Amreli district. In response, the government deployed 192 teams to undertake restoration work. Despite adverse weather, utility personnel managed to restore 368 of the 370 affected feeders and reinstated more than 380 electricity poles.

Of the 32 affected transformers across Amreli and Gir Somnath, 30 have been brought back into operation. Power supply has been restored in more than 80 villages, with restoration work continuing in the remaining affected areas.

Broader Context and What Comes Next

This comes amid Gujarat's annual monsoon vulnerability, where low-lying coastal and semi-arid districts alike face recurring flood risk. The scale of Tuesday's coordination — spanning 15 districts in a single video conference — reflects the breadth of the current weather event. Notably, the simultaneous disruption of electricity in 88 villages underscores the infrastructural strain that even a single heavy-rain episode can impose on the state grid.

With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) typically flagging continued heavy rainfall activity over Gujarat through the peak monsoon weeks, district administrations are expected to remain on heightened alert. The pace of power restoration — 368 of 370 feeders recovered within the spell — will be a benchmark officials cite for future preparedness reviews.