14-05-2025
Ahmedabad: Teenager drowns while swimming in water-filled hole in Sabarmati riverbed
A 13-year-old boy drowned while swimming in a water-filled section of the Sabarmati river, which has been running dry in the city for a week following the closure of sluice gates of Vasna Barrage for repair and maintenance work.
Officials of the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) told The Indian Express that 13-year-old Mohammad Hasnain Mohammed Asif Sheikh, resident of Sadar Bazaar, had visited this particular water hole along with some friends to cool off on Tuesday afternoon.
However, when he did not return home and his family members asked his friends, it came to light that Sheikh had not surfaced from the water.
The fire department was informed around 4.30pm following which emergency vehicles from Naroda and Shahpur fire stations reached the spot and, along with the River Rescue Team, began searching for the boy. However, the overgrowth in the area made it near-impossible to conduct operations, said an official.
Around 8.30 pm, the fire department contacted a private company which had, during Fire Safety week in April, exhibited their Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), the purchase of which is still under consideration.
The team arrived with the ROV which has sonar, underwater cameras and lights as well as a crab arm to catch hold of objects. 'The ROV was deployed and within an hour, operators saw the outline of the boy's body at a depth of about 12 feet of water. The ROV latched on to the body and brought it out of water,' said a fire department official.
An Accidental Death (AD) report was filed at Riverfront East police station.
Notably, the cutting-off of the water supply coupled with the intense May heat has ensured that Sabarmati river bed has mostly dried up in the city, leaving behind sludge, silt and debris that the civic authorities mean to clean, starting Thursday.
There are parts of riverbed that have sharp drop-offs and mini lakes of sorts, some more than 12-15 feet deep, containing water that is yet to evaporate or be cleared out during the cleaning process.
