Monsoon nightmare: 1k cr spent, but city still deep in waterlogging woes

Time of India

30-05-2025

Ahmedabad: Monsoon is at the door, but the people of Ahmedabad are dreading its onset. While rains may offer much-needed respite from the sweltering heat, they also bring back waterlogging woes.
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Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's (AMC) monsoon mechanisms, including interlinking of lakes, percolation wells, new stormwater lines, and pumping stations, failed to be effective against a few hours of rain. The unseasonal rain on May 7 affected 38 locations, while 24.3mm of rain recorded during Thursday's early hours left over 100 locations in eastern Ahmedabad waterlogged.
In two years, AMC has spent more than Rs 1,000 crore to address waterlogging.
However, a key plan — the project to complete the main trunk line flanking both sides of the SP Ring Road before monsoon — remains 90% unfinished.
Thirty-six projects worth Rs 841.45 crore have been approved for pre-monsoon activities in 2024-25, with 29 projects worth Rs 644.34 crore in progress and six worth Rs 42.11 crore awaiting the final push. A tender has been floated for a Rs 155 crore project. All these are unlikely to be completed before monsoon sets in, inundating streets and societies.
Under the pre-monsoon action plan, 4,328 new catch pits have been constructed, bringing the total to 67,851, with the first round of cleaning completed and the second round underway. A Rs 75 lakh contract has been approved for pumping rainwater from 10 underpasses, and sensors with boom barriers have been installed to automatically close underpass gates.
AMC standing committee chairman Devang Dani stated that unseasonal rain caused waterlogging, with plastic-covered catch pits identified as a reason in the eastern part.
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Removal of plastic covers has been ordered. Work on the main trunk line parallel to SP Ring Road, initially set for completion by June 10, 2025, may extend by a month. Once operational, the 22km lines in the eastern and western parts are expected to reduce waterlogging.
The Rs 1,200 crore Kharicut Canal Development Project also restricts water release, and its completion will further alleviate waterlogging, officials said.
On Aug 25-27 last year, the city received an average of 10 inches of rain, causing waterlogging in over 300 locations, with most cleared within an hour. However, 157 spots remained waterlogged for over an hour, and 10 spots for one to four days. At the time, 32 new waterlogging spots were identified, increasing the number from 125 to 157.