Ahmedabad: For Amdavadis, Thursday’s rain brought an unwelcome flashback to the flooding of July 14, 2000, when the city recorded 325mm of rain. A 12-hour deluge dumped 204mm of rain on the city, triggering the same sinking feeling in residents as water swamped roads, underpasses, and residential societies. Commuters got stranded as vehicles stalled, and cab drivers cancelled trips. More than 300 locations in western Ahmedabad were inundated, while over 150 societies reported flooding.The city received 278mm till 10 pm. With the IMD forecasting heavy to very heavy rain on Friday, the city may not be out of deep water yet.Thursday’s rain began around 8am and continued through the day, with several areas recording between 250mm and 370mm. Knee-deep to waist-deep water covered roads in parts of western Ahmedabad, stranding commuters and bringing traffic to a crawl.
Motorists and pedestrians struggle to get through waterlogged Drive-In Road following heavy rain in Ahmedabad
“I had to abandon my bike near Vakil Bridge after water entered the silencer. I tried riding for some distance, but the current was too strong,” said Manish Khatri, a South Bopal resident who was on his way to work.Those who ventured out found themselves trapped on flooded roads, while people at home struggled to access essential services. Cab drivers cancelled trips because several routes were underwater, leaving passengers arriving from outside Ahmedabad stranded even when they offered to pay twice the regular fare.The civic body temporarily closed 10 underpasses, including those at Shahibaug, Makarba, Akhbarnagar, Mithakhali, Usmanpura, and Parimal. Several reopened after the rain eased in the afternoon, but another spell in the evening forced the authorities to close the Parimal and Kubernagar underpasses again.
Tree collapsed at Kiran Park following heavy rain in Ahmedabad
By 7pm, the AMC control room had also received 50 complaints about uprooted trees.Municipal commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani said the city recorded nearly 6 inches of rain within three hours after the downpour began around 8am. Senior officials and technical teams were sent to the worst-hit areas, and the civic chief inspected parts of Bopal.The civic body assigned additional responsibilities to senior officers and technical personnel in areas that reported severe flooding. The civic chief advised residents to drink boiled water as the floodwater receded, while health teams began distributing chlorine tablets.The intense spells overwhelmed drainage systems and flooded basement parking areas in several societies. Civic teams deployed pumps to drain the accumulated water.
Rajpath-Rangoli Road flooded after heavy rain in Ahmedabad
Severe waterlogging and long traffic snarls were reported on Judge’s Bungalow Road in Bodakdev, Anandnagar Road in Jodhpur, the 132-feet Ring Road, Drive-In Road, the Manekbaug-Dharanidhar Road stretch and VVIP Road in Shela. Service roads on both sides of SG Highway were also flooded in Bodakdev, Thaltej, Jodhpur and Sarkhej.Rainwater entered more than 100 residential societies in Memnagar, Thaltej, Ambli, Bopal, Maktampura, Sarkhej and Bakrol. Officials reported water accumulation in about 80 societies in the North West Zone and 24 in the South West Zone, largely in basements.
People wade through knee-deep water at Vijay Crossroads which flooded after heavy rain in Ahmedabad
Although the West Zone received less rain than the North West and South West zones, officials said its proximity to the Sabarmati helped water drain faster. Low-lying areas such as Bopal took longer to drain.
