Summer rain’s cooling effect too hot for farmers to handle

Rajkot: Incessant rainfall over the last eight days may have had a cooling effect on people, but farmers continue to remain in hot waters this summer as unseasonal downpours accompanied by gale ravage their crops.
On Thursday too, most districts of Saurashtra recorded heavy rainfall coupled with thunderstorms and howling gales that affected normal life.
Wet weather prevailed in the districts of Rajkot, Kutch, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Surendranagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Morbi, Amreli and Gir-Somnath districts, giving jitters to agriculturists who are staring at heavy losses, especially to their horticulture produce.
Mendarda in Junagadh district was lashed by two inches of rain in two hours from 4pm to 6pm while downpours were also reported in the forest region of Gir. Madhuvanti River near Mendarda was flowing bank to bank, an uncommon sight in May when people reel under a blistering heat. In Junagadh, Keshod, Maliya Hatina and Vanthli got 25mm rainfall
A large number of incidents of trees and electricity poles getting uprooted due to strong winds were reported from various districts even as banners and hoardings were blown away.
In Keradi village near Jetpur of Rajkot district, two trees collapsed, damaging a tractor and a car. Internal roads in villages and towns were flooded with water gushing into homes.
In Kutch's Nakhatrana, several trees collapsed on the Bhuj-Naliya highway, blocking the movement of vehicles. Nakhatrana received 75 mm of rainfall. The solar panel of a government hospital was also damaged due to wind.
In Rajkot city, commuters were taken aback by the sudden showers on Yagnik Road, Kalavad Road, University Road, Sadhu Vasvani Road, Gondal Chowkdi and 150 ft Ring Road. Villages around Rajkot also got rainfall.
There were reports of damages in the salt pans in Surendranagar after rainfall in the desert area of Kharaghoda
In Talala, the traditional kesar mango trading hub, orchard owners continued to remain on the edge with no respite from the inclement weather for over a week now.