Rain respite for sweltering city

Amdavadis heaved a sigh of relief as moderate to heavy rains lashed Ahmedabad on Thursday and Friday, bringing with it a respite from the sweltering heat of the past few weeks. The cloudy atmosphere is expected to remain the same for the rest of the week.

“Light to moderate rain or thundershowers are likely to occur in the city; it may also turn heavy,” an AMC control room official said. Unlike other days, on Friday, the AMC Control room was not inundated with calls complaining about road cave-ins and uprooted trees. Animals, however, had to be rescued from different locations. A calf was pulled out from a canal in Odhav, while trapped birds were rescued from trees at Shahibaug.

One death due to drowning was also reported from Shahibaug Dafnala near Sabarmati River. The deceased, a man, has not yet been identified, but is believed to be aged around 30. He is said to have drowned while trying to cross a rivulet.

According to the AMC control room officials, while the average rainfall in the city was recorded at 24.85% of the average annual rainfall, each zone saw mild to heavy rainfall in the past two days. Despite the dip in the mercury level, the level of humidity has been on high.

Ahmedabad in particular has been witnessing high level of humidity in the past few days. Weather officials said this is due to the south-westerly current, which has led to an increase in moisture content in the environment.