Ahmedabad flooding
Ahmedabad: Extensivewaterlogging, as seen after Monday’s downpours, may not be preventable for three years. The official said Package 1 covers a 37km stretch in the city’s east and Package 2 covers a 39.2km stretch in the west. “Service roads will be expanded, with 34km of the existing two-lane road widened to four lanes,” the official said. The department has already built four flyovers on SG Highway at a cost exceeding Rs 1,000 crore, the official said. “A flyover is under construction from Karnavati Club to YMCA Club, and another from Gota flyover to Vaishnodevi Junction,” the official said. Due to projects on SG Highway, manholes of the duct lines laid parallel to the highway have been buried or blocked. This has led to chronic waterlogging along the service roads parallel to SG Highway. [Box 1] What’s going wrong
- Elevation disparity: SG Highway and SP Ring Road sit higher than Sindhu Bhavan Road, Iscon–Ambli Road, and others. The disparity leads to water accumulation
- Damaged and misaligned duct lines: Due to projects on SG Highway, the main duct line’s manholes have been buried. In some places, duct lines sit higher than the service road level, preventing runoff
- Outdated stormwater infrastructure: The stormwater network on Sindhu Bhavan Road was laid 15 years ago and its carrying capacity has significantly reduced. Inspections revealed gaps in pipeline connectivity along with broken stormwater lines [Box 2] Plan to mitigate waterlogging
On average, 5-6 inches of rainfall was recorded in the western parts of Ahmedabad on Monday. An official of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda) stated: “Auda has approved a Rs 2,200-crore project for six-laning the 76km SP Ring Road. An AMC official stated, “In 2017, the state govt’s roads and buildings department initiated the SG Highway upgrade project, spanning the corridor from Nana Chiloda to Rajkot. 1. Artificial lakes : AMC plots on both sides of the SG Highway corridor will be identified to create more than 10 artificial lakes. These lakes will be linked to nearby major waterbodies or to Gota–Godhavi canal via stormwater lines 2. Lake interlinking project: AMC plans to interlink seven lakes near SP Ring Road and SG Highway with stormwater lines at a cost of Rs 77.2 crore. The proposal was approved on Jan 1, 2025 You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Ahmedabad | Silver Rate in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad | Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Petrol Price in Ahmedabad | Diesel Price in Ahmedabad | CNG Price in Ahmedabad | LPG Price in Ahmedabad Stay updated with the latest Ahmedabad news.
Key infrastructure initiatives under way in the city entail laying stormwater lines. That work will not conclude till the completion of these projects: the SG Highway development, the SG Highway service road beautification, and SP Ring Road six-laning. Moreover, existing stormwater networks have to be upgraded and lakes in areas surrounding SG Highway and SP Ring Road have to be interlinked. Flooded areas included SG Highway service road, Sindhu Bhavan Road, and Iscon-Ambli Road. Five other roads connecting SG Highway and SP Ring Road were submerged. “And a 15km stretch of three-lane service roads will be upgraded to four lanes. Auda’s six-laning project includes constructing two new three-lane bridges adjacent to the two existing bridges over Sabarmati river at Bhat and Kamod. Three six-lane underpasses are planned at Bhat Circle, Chiloda Circle, and Aslali Circle along SP Ring Road. Six new foot overbridges will be built across SP Ring Road to ensure pedestrian safety. Download the TOI App.