Ahmedabad: Work from home, keep vehicles out of flood-prone basements, and steer clear of trees and hoardings. The Ahmedabad civic body issued a three-pronged advisory on Thursday as Ahmedabad prepared for heavy rain on Friday and Saturday.“There is a forecast of heavy rain in Ahmedabad city for the next two days, and a red alert has been declared. We are therefore appealing to citizens to work from home on both days,” municipal commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani said.Residents have been advised not to park their vehicles in basements vulnerable to flooding. The warning follows recent rain that inundated roads and basements in several parts of Ahmedabad and left scores of vehicles damaged.Outlining the civic body’s preparations, he said leave for all AMC officials and employees had been cancelled. All AMC control rooms have been activated, and municipal schools as well as community halls have been readied as emergency shelters.The civic chief said the Sabarmati had been drained and all gates of Vasna Barrage opened to create room for rainwater. Water supply to the Kharicut Canal in eastern Ahmedabad has also been stopped.The city could experience winds of 40-50kmph along with heavy rain. The AMC has removed hoardings and trees identified as hazardous, and residents have been asked not to stand beneath trees or hoardings during the rain and strong winds.The civic body has identified 147 locations susceptible to waterlogging. To clear accumulated water, it has kept 245 stormwater pumping stations and 315 drainage pumping stations operational.Residents of low-lying areas will be moved to safer locations if water begins to accumulate, with arrangements being made for shelter and food.AMC officers and employees have been instructed to remain in the field. The commissioner reviewed the preparations with deputy municipal commissioners, while a separate coordination meeting was held with Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda) officials.The civic body is also collecting area-wise rainfall forecasts to assess how much rain different parts of Ahmedabad could receive and to deploy resources accordingly.Mayor Hitesh Barot said rainfall across all city zones would be monitored round the clock under the municipal commissioner’s supervision. “Workers and pumps have been deployed at flooding-prone locations. The AMC is also cleaning and maintaining canals, drainage lines, and waterbodies to ensure the discharge of rainwater. Cleaning of the Gota-Godhavi Canal has been completed,” Barot said.The mayor said arrangements for evacuation, shelter, and food would be activated wherever required.Schools, colleges, anganwadis shutAll govt, grant-in-aid, and self-financed schools and colleges across Ahmedabad city and district will remain closed on Saturday following an IMD red alert for heavy rain. Ahmedabad collector ordered the suspension of all academic activities for student safety. Separately, AMC-run anganwadis will stay closed until Aug 3, while municipal board schools remained closed on July 31. Officials said any decision regarding reopening or further holidays will be taken after reviewing the weather situation. Citizens and educational institutions have been advised to rely only on official updates.
