Lakshmi Patel
In the last 10 years, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has spent nearly Rs200 crores on laying storm water lines, but the problem of water-logging in the city has not yet been solved. When heavy rains lashed the city on Sunday evening, roads, societies, and houses in many areas were submerged in knee-deep waters.
According to available data, the largest storm-water line was laid by the corporation in the last decade to drain water from Prahladnagar and Anandnagar areas of Jodhpur ward. This line is 29 km long and was set up in 2012 at a cost of Rs 34 crores. However, even this storm-water line collapsed during the recent rains.
Ahmedabad city has a storm-water line network of 980 km, of which 30 to 35 percent is in the western areas, while 65 to 70 percent is in the eastern area. The city has a road network of 2600 km against a network of 980 km of storm-water lines. Statistics show that the network of storm-water lines has increased by just 30 km in the last decade.
In the year 2007, new western zones including Sarkhej, Maktampura, Vejalpur, Bodakdev, Thaltej, Ghatlodia, Chandlodia, Kali Gam, Ranip, Gota, and Chandkheda were merged into Ahmedabad. Areas like Maktampura, Sarkhej, Ramol, Thaltej, Ranip, Kaligam, and Chandkheda have an extremely weak rainwater drainage system. However, citing future development, the AMC spent Rs105 crores to lay storm water lines on Ashram Road in 2019.
An average of Rs 3 to Rs 4 crores is spent every year on storm-water line networks, where small drainage lines are laid. This money is also used for regular maintenance and operation of the rainwater drainage systems. Looking at the situation, though, this is not a permanent solution.
Ahmedabad city has a storm-water line network of 980 km, of which 65 to 70 percent of the network is in the eastern region. There are a total of 32 pumping stations for storm-water drainage in the city, out of which only two pumping stations are in the western area. Two storm-water pumping stations are operational at Satellite’s Jaideep Tower and Vejalpur’s Srinandanagar and 30 pumping stations are located in the eastern region, 27 of these are near Kharikat Canal.
Thus, the western part of the city lacks adequate infrastructure and equipment for storm-water drainage. The small storm-water lines that have been dug are being laid based on the gravity of the situation. Hence, the problem of water-logging is not being solved permanently.
An official from the AMC, on the condition of anonymity, said that disputes over the Town Planning schemes are responsible for the lack of storm-water line networks in the western part of the city. Major town planning schemes built in the new western zone of the city like those adjacent to SG Highway and SP Ring Road are not being implemented, due to which the roads are not open. Networks of storm-water lines or drainage lines are not being laid.
Amount spent on storm-water lines in last 8 years (as per budget revenue expenditure)
| Year | Expenditure (Rs. Crores) |
| 2013-14 | 5.00 |
| 2014-15 | 4.35 |
| 2015-16 | 3.80 |
| 2016-17 | 4.10 |
| 2018-19 | 20.00 |
| 2019-20 | 4.87 |
| 2020-21 | 5.95 |
| 2021-22 | 6.18 |
| Total | 54.25 |
