Ahmedabad, July 25 (IANS) The local administration has restored normal traffic across almost the entire city after three days of exceptionally heavy rainfall, with water cleared from most flood-hit locations and authorities continuing dewatering and restoration work in the remaining affected areas, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said on Saturday.
Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani said the city had received exceptionally heavy rainfall over the past three days, with the South-West Zone recording the highest rainfall at 625 mm, followed by the North-West Zone with 585 mm, the Central Zone with 498 mm and the West Zone with 494 mm.
Bopal alone recorded around 544 mm, or approximately 22 inches, of rain, while several localities, including Bakrol, Sarkhej and Jodhpur, received more than 16 inches during the period.
Addressing the media along with Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot and Standing Committee Chairman Kamlesh Patel, the Commissioner said coordinated efforts by multiple civic departments had enabled the city to recover rapidly despite the unprecedented rainfall.
“Despite such a large volume of rainfall, the city’s condition is returning to normal rapidly due to the continuous efforts of various AMC departments,” Pani said.
He said all major roads in Ahmedabad had been reopened to traffic. The only exception is the underpass connecting Ranip and Chandlodia, which remains temporarily closed until complete dewatering is finished. All other underpasses have resumed operations.
According to the Commissioner, water has been completely drained from Santosa Park, while water levels in Iskon Green and Bopal have reduced significantly.
Explaining the persistent flooding in Bopal, he said: “The area’s saucer-shaped topography makes it vulnerable to water accumulation. To address the problem, AMC has excavated an approximately 350-metre trench and is using dewatering pumps to divert water through a 1,200 mm pipeline into Ghuma Lake before discharging it through the Gota-Godhavi Canal.”
Three additional dewatering pumps have also been deployed in the Kardaj area, while pumping operations continue at Ratan Lake to accelerate drainage.
Pani said the Western Trunk Line project had substantially reduced waterlogging between Science City, Bodakdev and the Appluj area compared with previous years, demonstrating the effectiveness of the infrastructure.
He added that “the pumping station serving Makarba, Sarkhej and nearby areas was upgraded overnight to improve drainage capacity, with noticeable improvements seen on Saturday”.
Of the city’s 148 identified waterlogging locations, water has been fully drained from 133, while work continues at the remaining 15 sites.
Similarly, dewatering has been completed in 107 of the 126 affected residential societies, with operations continuing in the remaining 19 societies.
The municipal corporation has also undertaken an extensive clean-up operation. Pani said 7,580 personnel from 480 teams of AMC’s Solid Waste Management Department were deployed after floodwaters receded.
The teams removed 664 tonnes of silt and sludge and cleared 3,473 metric tonnes of waste from roads and residential areas.
To reduce the risk of water-borne diseases, the Health Department distributed 1.25 lakh chlorine tablets on Saturday after distributing around 1.52 lakh tablets the previous day.
The Commissioner said high chlorination was being maintained at all water distribution centres to ensure the safety of the city’s drinking water supply.
Road and Building Department teams have also begun repairing roads affected by settlement and potholes caused by the heavy rainfall, while AMC is providing dewatering pumps to remove water from the basements of residential societies and commercial complexes.
Pumping operations are currently underway at the Indraprasth Complex using Fire Department equipment, with similar assistance being provided wherever required.
“Citizen safety remained the corporation’s highest priority. Earlier, 11 people were shifted to safer locations from the Sabarmati area. In Naranpura, 12 families living in a Gujarat Housing Board colony have also been relocated as a precaution while diaphragm wall strengthening work is carried out. No permission for the related construction would be granted until the diaphragm wall work is fully completed,” he said.
Although rainfall is continuing in some parts of Ahmedabad, Pani said most of the city has now returned to normal.
He noted that the weather warning has been downgraded from a Red Alert to an Orange Alert, with the possibility of further easing to Yellow and subsequently Green if conditions continue to improve.
“The Sabarmati Barrage level is currently being maintained at around 123.5. If conditions become favourable, it may be increased to between 125 and 126,” he said.
Pani added that civic teams remain on round-the-clock duty and that complaints from residential, commercial and public areas are being attended to immediately.
“Citizens can register complaints through the AMC Control Room or other designated channels, and the administration is committed to ensuring prompt and effective resolution,” he said.
–IANS
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