Ahmedabad: Even moderate to heavy rain on Friday brought civic troubles for commuters, especially in the city’s western areas.Several blamed waterlogging around ongoing infrastructure projects and poor drainage for turning routine commutes into patience-testing odysseys.A marketing professional caught in a jam said the rain wasn’t heavy, but there is no system to channel the water away.“Govt should deploy civic officials at such critical spots rather than declare a holiday,” he said.Across the city’s western stretches, flooded roads and bumper-to-bumper traffic stranded commuters for far longer than usual during the afternoon hours, which do not typically draw peak traffic.Nandika Shah, a photographer, said what should have been a 30-minute drive from Ambli Road to Vaishnodevi took nearly 90 minutes.“Traffic was almost at a standstill from Gota flyover to Vaishnodevi Circle and only inched forward after long intervals,” Shah said. “Waterlogging near the gurdwara and the SGVP stretch, which floods almost every time it rains, slowed traffic further.”Water receded from most spots in two to three hours. As a precautionary step during the heavy afternoon rain, Mithakhali and Shahibaug underpasses were temporarily closed to traffic.Mithakhali underpass was reopened within half an hour, while Shahibaug underpass was reopened within an hour.AMC deployed dewatering pumps at critical waterlogging spots, which eased drainage.
