The search for a 10-year-old visually impaired girl who fell into an open drainage line near Ahmedabad’s Pirana Dumping Yard has continued for more than 80 hours, with rescue teams still unable to locate her. The operation has become increasingly difficult as rescuers face toxic methane gas, thick sludge and a steady flow of industrial wastewater inside the underground drainage network.
The girl fell into the drain near the Vishala–Narol road stretch on Saturday. Since then, the Ahmedabad Fire Department and municipal engineering teams have been working round the clock to trace her. However, dangerous conditions deep inside the drainage system have made it difficult for personnel to enter and search the main sewer line.
Cameras Fail to Locate the Girl
Rescue teams have tried several methods to find the girl inside the drainage network, but none has produced a clear lead so far.
Fire officials lowered specialised borewell inspection cameras into the manholes to examine the deep drainage line. These cameras are commonly used in deep-well rescue operations. However, thick mud and disturbed debris blocked visibility, leaving officials without any clear images of the area below.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) engineering team also carried out CCTV inspections through all adjacent manholes in the sector. These checks did not reveal the girl’s location.
With camera inspections failing to provide answers, teams have turned to removing the accumulated sludge. Heavy machinery is being used to pump out submerged mud in an effort to clear access for rescue personnel.
Search Moves Towards Pirana STP and Sabarmati River
Alongside the underground search, fire department teams have been checking areas around the Pirana Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and the Sabarmati River.
Rescue boats have been deployed, while personnel are also checking the riverbanks on foot. The search is now focused on the inlet screens of the Pirana STP and the downstream stretches of the Sabarmati River.
These searches are continuing as officials work to determine where the drainage flow may have carried the girl. No confirmed information about her location has emerged from these efforts.
Chemical Waste Poses Serious Risks to Rescue Teams
One of the biggest challenges facing the operation is the condition of the wastewater flowing through the main drainage line. Civic engineering officials have raised concerns about toxic industrial chemicals mixing with municipal sewage, creating hazardous conditions for those involved in the rescue.
According to officials, the main trunk sewer carries wastewater passing through Naroda and also receives drainage flows from Ahmedabad’s North, South and East zones.
Engineers suspect that industrial waste may be entering the sewer through unauthorised connections. They have also raised the possibility that chemical tankers could be illegally discharging waste into the drainage network upstream, possibly during the night. The exact source of the suspected contamination has not been established in the information available.
The combination of toxic gases, chemical-laden wastewater and heavy sludge has limited the options available to rescue teams and made a direct search inside the main sewer particularly difficult.
Rescue Efforts Continue Despite Difficult Conditions
Municipal engineers have reportedly assessed the chances of survival inside the main trunk sewer as low because of the high-speed water flow and hazardous conditions. Even so, search operations have continued, with teams concentrating on clearing the drainage line and checking possible downstream locations.
More than four days after the incident, the girl’s whereabouts remain unknown. Rescue workers continue to face the difficult task of searching a deep, contaminated drainage network where poor visibility and dangerous conditions have restricted their efforts.
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