Monsoon Has Officially Withdrawn From Gujarat: Saurashtra and North Regions Face Drought, 116 Dams Filled Less Than Half Capacity

As the Southwest Monsoon prepares for its final exit from Gujarat, official figures from the State Emergency Operations Centre released on October 8, 2026, show a cumulative seasonal rainfall of 810.64 mm—reaching 89.19% of the 30-year average. However, this modest 10.8% statewide deficit hides extreme regional anomalies that have left over half of the state's internal reservoirs dangerously depleted ahead of the dry season.

The state's top-level statistics are heavily inflated by torrential downpours in South Gujarat, which logged 1,761.43 mm of rainfall, or 114.23% of its seasonal quota. High rainfall in coastal districts like Valsad (2,954 mm) and Navsari (2,466 mm) triggered flash floods and forced thousands of emergency evacuations earlier in the season.

Northern and Coastal Belts Face Acute Rainfall Deficits

In sharp contrast to the south, the northern and western coastal belts endured near-drought conditions throughout the monsoon season. Devbhumi Dwarka emerged as the worst-hit district, recording a massive 83.5% deficit with just 139 mm of rainfall against its normal 842 mm benchmark.

Other coastal and northern districts posted similarly grim figures:

• Porbandar received barely 262 mm, settling at 30.85% of its average rainfall.

• Jamnagar closed the season with 324 mm, reaching only 43.25% of its normal quota.

• Kutch logged 287.90 mm, leaving the arid border region at a 42.4% deficit.

• North Gujarat and Saurashtra ended the season at 71.04% and 71.43% of their average precipitation, respectively.

116 State Reservoirs Depleted Below 50%

While the massive Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam stands near total capacity at 99.46% (3,32,260 MCFT), conditions across Gujarat's remaining 206 medium and small state dams are critical.

Data shows that 116 out of 206 dams (56.3%) hold less than half of their total water storage capacity. Within this group, 78 dams (37.8%) are severely depleted, holding less than 25% of their capacity, while 38 dams sit between 25 and 50% storage.

Key irrigation reservoirs in the deficit regions have hit dangerously low levels:

• Sipu Dam in Banaskantha is virtually dry at 4.16% capacity.

• Und-1 Dam in Jamnagar holds just 13.56% of its capacity.

• Bhadar Dam in Rajkot stands at 19.90% capacity.

• Dantiwada Dam in Banaskantha is down to 24.03% capacity.

• Dharoi Dam in North Gujarat holds 52.48% of its total water storage.

Shrinking Water Reserves Threaten Upcoming Rabi Crop

Despite the rainfall deficits, total Kharif sowing across Gujarat covered 83.42 lakh hectares, reaching 97.79% of normal coverage. Cash crops saw strong planting, with groundnut reaching 108.09% and soybean expanding to 108.32% of typical seasonal area.

However, agriculture officials warn that farmers across Saurashtra, Kutch, and North Gujarat face severe irrigation shortages for the winter Rabi season. As residual ground moisture evaporates rapidly following the monsoon's retreat, low reservoir storage will restrict canal releases and deplete groundwater tables across the state's primary farming hubs.