Rainwater Cleared from 107 of 126 Waterlogged Societies in Ahmedabad: AMC

Ahmedabad: After the heavy rains that lashed the city over the past few days, water accumulated in several areas has started receding gradually. According to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), traffic is returning to normal as floodwater has cleared from most of the city’s major roads.

The AMC said that Bopal Lake has reached its full capacity. To regulate the water level, excess water is being released in a controlled manner through gravity lines into the Gota-Godhavi canal. The operation is currently underway.

The civic body said its teams are continuously working to drain water from the areas that remain waterlogged, while the situation is being monitored round the clock.

According to data released by the AMC till 5 pm on July 25, water has been cleared from 107 of the 126 waterlogged societies across the city, while dewatering operations are underway in 18 societies. Zone-wise, water has been cleared from 8 of the 11 affected societies in the West Zone, 73 of 76 in the North-West Zone, 14 of 28 in the South-West Zone, one in the Central Zone, three in the North Zone and nine in the East Zone.

The Bopal-Ghuma-Shela belt was among the worst-affected areas. Heavy rainfall over the past three days inundated several roads and residential societies, severely disrupting normal life. Although the intensity of the rain has reduced, water remained stagnant in several pockets for an extended period, causing considerable hardship to residents.

According to reports, the prolonged waterlogging has exposed the lack of an adequate stormwater drainage network in these areas. Even after the inclusion of Bopal and Ghuma within the AMC limits, the stormwater drainage infrastructure has not been fully developed. Officials said the existing water supply and sewerage network, originally designed for a much smaller population, is still serving nearly 1.5 lakh residents, making it difficult to drain rainwater quickly during intense downpours.

Over the past decade, Bopal, Ghuma and Shela have witnessed rapid residential development. However, the expansion of water supply, sewerage and stormwater drainage infrastructure has failed to keep pace with the area’s growing population. The situation is further compounded in Shela, which is still governed by a Gram Panchayat and lacks an adequate stormwater drainage network.

The AMC said dewatering measures have been undertaken at all critical locations to accelerate the drainage process, and work is continuing in phases to clear water from the remaining affected areas. DeshGujarat