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Amdavadis meet their 'Waterloo' on city roads Wednesday, July 11, 2001

By Our Civic Reporter, The Times of India News Service
AHMEDABAD: In a sharp burst on Monday afternoon, about 20 mm of rainfall landed many Amdavadis in knee-deep water, contradicting authorities' tall claims about storm-water drains.

Life was thrown out of gear in many areas as rainwater inundated busy thoroughfares and under-bridges, as well as flooding low-lying residential neighbourhoods.

The prime victim of Monday's showers was the pre-monsoon action plan, so elaborately drawn up by the civic bodies of Ahmedabad. Only 18.12 mm of rainfall was recorded by rain gauges.

The authorities blamed the Vasna sewage pumping station, which also doubles as a rainwater pumping station during monsoon, for waterlogging as the plant broke down for about half an hour on Monday. However, the explanation did not convince people who feared a heavier spell of rainfall might have left the entire city paralysed, even with the Vasna station working.

The scenes were dime-a-dozen: Cars stuck in catch-pits, marooned and hapless denizens, vehicles being laboriously pushed through an alarmingly waterlogged roads, and localities crying foul over lack of administrative preparedness in areas such as Vejalpur, Satellite and other areas in the jurisdiction of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA).

"I was working at my office on Ashram Road when my housemaid called up to say that rainwater was seeping through windows and door of my house in Vejalpur. On my way home I countered heavy waterlogging for a long stretch on Satellite Road; eventually, I had to go back as the autorickshaw driver refused to go any further," said Ragini Shah.

Shah's lamentations were reflected on the faces of scores of two-, three- and four-wheel occupants and pedestrians alike who got stranded wherever they were without any road to escape the rising rainwater.

For Amitbhai Patel and his wife, who were looking for a road free of waterlogging, getting into Ahmedabad was more arduous than driving through heavy rain all the way from Anand.

Patel recounted, "It actually may have taken more time than my drive from Anand. The road from Sarkhej highway passing by the APMC building was heavily waterlogged. After manoeuvring through one came across the Vejalpur flyover, the exit point of which resembled a lake. Then again in the Judges Bungalow area, Ramdeo Nagar ... a boat would have been more appropriate than my small Maruti Van."

That apart areas near Rajpath Row Houses, Jivandeep row houses near Sarkhej highway and on the 132-feet road were prey to heavy waterlogging on Monday.

A talk with the AUDA officials revealed that around 1.45 pm the Vasna sewage pumping station had halted operations due to a power cut for around 30 minutes and thus the heavy waterlogging in AUDA areas. An engineer with AUDA revealed: "We are still heavily dependant on AMC for civic amenities. It is through their sewage pumping station that both rainwater and sewage is sucked out to the riverbed. But, since the pumping station failed during heavy rains, this problem cropped up."

Chairman of AUDA, Surendra Patel, had this to say: "A parallel sewage line project was to be completed by AMC (that has been put incharge of implementing this project) for areas outside the corporation's jurisdiction. This was to be completed in 1997. If the pipeline had been in place a large part of Ahmedabad would be saved from these monsoon troubles."

The city engineer of AMC, incharge of the Vasna pumping station, BR Seth told TOI: "It was a brief hiccup and now everything is back to normal as the sewage pumping station is drawing water to full capacity -- 40 lakh gallon per hour. Already water is receding in these areas and life will soon return to normal."

But, assurances apart areas within AMC limits like the Mithakhali square, road running along St. Zavier's school and opposite the Regional Passport Office looked more like waterbodies than busy thoroughfares. Other areas to be heavily affected by the Monday showers were Isanpur, Manekbaug hall and Manekbaug railway crossing.

Eight instances of cave-ins on roads and numerous complaints of waterlogging flowed into AMC's control rooms. Corporation officials were kept on their toes with 14 waterlogged areas in all its five zones. Nine water pumps were pressed into service which were at work till late in the evening.

News Source : Times Of India News Service [ Lightning News ]

 

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