Several areas of Jalore and Barmer districts in Rajasthan witnessed heavy rain due to Cyclone Biparjoy, which moved towards the desert state following its landfall in Gujarat, officials said on Friday.
A meteorological department official said 60-70 mm rains occurred at a few places on Thursday night and extremely heavy rainfall is likely to occur in both the districts and adjoining areas on Friday.
According to the official, 69 mm of rainfall was recorded in Jalore till Friday morning.
The department has sounded a "red" alert for Jalore and Barmer. More than 200 mm of rainfall may occur in the areas where the alert has been sounded.
The cyclone will weaken and move further over Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Pali and Sirohi where very heavy rainfall is likely, the official said, adding that heavy rains may also occur in Rajsamand, Dungarpur and nearby areas on Friday and Saturday.
Strong winds with a speed of 60 to 70 kilometres per hour are expected in the adjoining areas of Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jalore and Jodhpur on Friday and in the adjoining areas of Jodhpur, Udaipur and Ajmer on Saturday.
Eight companies of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed in Jaipur, Kota, Bharatpur, Udaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner and one company of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed in Kishangarh in Ajmer district to rescue people affected by the heavy rains.
The local administration in the affected districts has also made preparations, such as an arrangement of pumps and deployment of civil defence and disaster management teams, in view of the "red" and "orange"