People were shifted to safer places following flooding of Mindhola river and a creek near Surat and Purna river in Navsari district.

In the past 24 hours, Surat, Navsari, Dangs, Bulsar, Narmada and Broach districts in south Gujarat received heavy rainfall while other parts of the state, including Ahmedabad, experienced light to moderate rain. The highest rainfall of 492 mm in the past 24 hours was recorded in Chikhli in Navsari district, official sources said.

Meanwhile, the heavy rainfall has resulted in overflowing of several medium and small reservoirs and dams, sources said.

However, the situation has improved in the few villages of Porbander and Jamnagar districts which were flooded due to overflowing Khodarnesh damyesterday.

Earlier, south Gujarat had its first brush with monsoon this season as heavy rains lashed almost all parts of the region throwing normal life out of gear even as the meteorological department has forecast yet another round of heavy rains by Thursday morning.

Though no loss of life was reported, people living in low-lying areas geared up for possible shifting to safer places in areas along the river banks.

Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Navsari, Valsad and Dangs districts all received heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours, as reports of losses to property were trickling in.

Surat city reeled under the monsoon onslaught for the firt time as heavens opened up on Monday night. Rains continued to batter the city throughout the day flooding low-lying areas of Begampura, Navsari Bazar, Salabatpura, Kubernagar, Rudhnathpura, Balaji Road, Athwalines, Adajan, Piplod, Machhiwad, Kadarshani Nal, Pandesara and Limbayat. In the last 36 hours the city registered nearly six inch rainfall. It rained 91.8 mm from5.30 am to 8.30 pm on Tuesday alone.

As many as 150 families were shifted from the low-lying Rasulabad area. Last monsoon also, many families had to be shifted from the area on the arrival of first rains. Road traffic was affected as two roads caved in Badrinagar and Vishalnagar in West Zone.

Weir-cum-causeway in Singanpore area was closed for vehicular and people's movement at 5.45 pm as a precautionery measure as water level rose. The fire brigade was pressed hard as incidents of short circuits kept them busy for most part of the day. Incidents of short circuit were reported from Rani Talav, Kapodra Char Rasta, Chauta Bazaar Balaji Road, Jain Derasar in Katargam, Kubernagar, Viratnagar, Balaji Road, Jamnik Gali in Nanpura and Galemandi Road.

Trees collapsed in Athwalines, Jamunanagar, Katargam, Bhatar Road, Adajan Patia, Majura Gate and Rudhnathpura Malad Sheri. Live wires fell near Rander Bus Stop and Kapodara Char Rasta. Nobody was reported injured in rain-related mishaps in the city.

The raincaught Surat Municipal Corporation authorities unawares as information about the areas reeling under monsoon fury was hard to come by. Following a technical fault in the Market Exchange telephones in thousands of telephones in Rander, Adajan and Nanpura areas were rendered inoperative for nearly two hours.

Though rail traffic was not affected the rains took their tool on bus traffic. In-charge of Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation's Central depot said number of bus passengers was down to half. District collector R M Shah said residents of Madav and Jetwadi villages near Doswada dam in Songadh taluka of the district would be shifted as a precautionery measure.

Vehicular traffic in Karvalli and Pardi villages was closed.Meanwhile, Navsari recorded a rainfall of 230 mm by 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Chikhli and Gandevi talukas of Navsari district 128 and 100 mm rainfall respectively. Navsari flood control sources said taluka mamlatdars had been alerted by the district administration to shift people if waterlevels in the rivers continued to rise.