Rajkot: The southwest monsoon became more vigorous over Gujarat on Thursday, lashing Junagadh and much of Saurashtra with torrential rains that brought relief and chaos.While widespread rains delighted farmers and filled reservoirs after months of scorching heat, they also flooded cities and towns, disrupted transportation and exposed glaring gaps in civic preparedness.According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, rain was recorded in 140 talukas between 6 am and 6 pm, with the heaviest spell concentrated in Junagadh and Gir Somnath districts. Junagadh emerged as the wettest district, with Mangrol being surpassed by 245 mm, the highest in the state.Heavy rains caused rivers and streams to swell in and around Keshod, flooded agricultural fields in Gir Somnath and caused water levels in local dams to rise rapidly.In several cities, roads turned into rivers within hours, exposing poor stormwater drainage systems. In Veraval, knee-deep water submerged busy stretches including MG Road, Satta Bazaar and Tapeshwar temple area, drawing criticism of the municipality’s pre-monsoon preparations. In Gondal, the Khodiyar Nagar railway underbridge was completely submerged, forcing authorities to stop vehicle movement, while flooded roads near water gates and sugar mill slowed down traffic in Kodinar.The rains also highlighted fragile infrastructure. Road collapses in Upleta sparked public resentment, while power outages disrupted normal life in Veraval and Talala. Traffic was further affected by diversions on the six-lane Rajkot-Jetpur Expressway near Jamwadi, leading to long queues of vehicles.Commuters bore the brunt of the downpour, navigating flooded roads, mud and sludge as overflowing drains, flooded underpasses and damaged stretches made driving dangerous.Multiple systems bring rainAhmedabad: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said conditions remained favorable for monsoon to cover the remaining parts of Gujarat for the next two to three days. An area of low pressure over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjacent Odisha-West Bengal coast, supported by multiple cyclonic circulations and an offshore trough along the western coast, is expected to keep monsoon activity vigorous across the region. On Thursday morning, the northern limit of the southwest monsoon was recorded in Porbandar and Vallabh Vidyanagar, among others. “Monsoon is likely to cover the entire state soon. We are expecting good rainfall across the state as several districts will receive heavy to very heavy rain,” a senior weather department official said.Showers are forecastAhmedabad: Over the next few days, the IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rain, with isolated extremely heavy rain very likely in Bharuch, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Porbandar, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Gir Somnath and in Diu, Vadodara, Narmada, Dang and Tapi, Rajkot, Amreli, Anand, Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur, Jamnagar, Botad and Dwarka.