Gujarat floods: Citizens stay in as sky rains down woes

AHMEDABAD: A rain-wrought terror gripped Amdavadis on Thursday, pushing the already monsoon-sodden city into a self-imposed curfew. Many Amdavadis preferred to stay indoors and avoid getting stuck in traffic or having to wade through waterlogged areas during peak hours. The city saw an average rainfall of 67.63 mm on Thursday.

Between 6 am and 10 pm, the New West Zone got 85.5 mm of rain the highest in the city. The station at Sola Science City recorded 110 mm.

Mayor Gautam Shah claimed during a press interaction that the Maninagar-Anupam Cinema area had received 7 inches of rain.

Areas like Gota, Chandlodia, Vejalpur, Vastrapur and Science City saw many neighbourhoods inundated. “Areas like Nikol, Chamanpura, Asarwa, Danilimda experienced 7 to 6 inches of rainfall,” said Shah. Three major cave-ins were reported at Vadaj, the BRTS stretch between Danilimda and Chandranagar and at SP Stadium.

A worried CM Vijay Rupani took a boat ride to take stock of waterlogging issues in Nikol—especially areas like Nikol-Kathwada Road, Swaminarayan Park and Khodiyar Temple—which were inundated by 8 to 9 feet of water.

The Walled City also had its share of problems. Septuagenarian Pervaz Gandhi and his wife spent the entire day draining water from their home near New Parsi School in Khanpur. “The RCC work at the new JP Chowk has blocked some stormwater outlets, forcing the rainwater into our homes,” Pervaz Gandhi said.

The area outside Ahmedabad airport was waterlogged for several hours in the morning, slowing down cars trying to enter the airport. About 81 of the 226 major traffic junctions were waterlogged between 5am and 9.30am.

The self-imposed curfew by Amdavadis—especially private firms, schools, colleges—helped district and city administration concentrate on rain management issues. In Bopal, several societies near the lake were affected as water flowed into the neighbouring areas.