Vadodara: Every monsoon, the city finds itself flooded not just with rainwater, but with some rather unexpected visitors. As the Vishwamitri river swells, crocodiles emerge from its waters and make their way into the city, turning busy streets and quiet neighbourhoods into unlikely reptilian corridors.
LIVING WITH CROCS
For residents, spotting one can be an alarming reminder that beneath Vadodara’s urban landscape lies not just a river, but a wild ecosystem that refuses to stay within its boundaries.From residential colonies and school premises to gardens, roads and campuses, crocodiles are increasingly being spotted in places where no one expects to encounter them. In the past fortnight alone, more than 20 crocodiles have been rescued.For outsiders, the sight can be startling, even terrifying. For Barodians, however, it has become almost a seasonal ritual.“Till a few years ago, people used to panic at the sight of crocodiles near their homes and would avoid venturing into waterlogged areas. But now, most citizens are accustomed to their presence. Hundreds of crocodiles have been spotted and rescued during the monsoons over the last few years, but not a single incident of people harming the reptiles has been reported. It is a perfect example of coexistence,” said Sanjay Soni, who has been working to conserve the Vishwamitri river and its crocodiles.But the reptiles are no longer confined to areas close to the river. While crocodiles once ventured mainly into neighbourhoods along the Vishwamitri, they are now being spotted several kilometres away.Wildlife activists believe the city’s underground stormwater drainage network has become an unlikely migration route for the reptiles.“Crocodiles living in the Vishwamitri and a few lakes have discovered a new way to migrate safely through the underground stormwater drains. The reptiles enter drains laid across almost every part of the city and use them as water highways to travel to far-off areas“, said wildlife activist Arvind Pawar.The hidden network makes it difficult to track their movements.“We receive at least 25 to 30 calls every monsoon about crocodiles being spotted in stormwater drains or drainage lines. It is difficult to keep a tab on their movement as they travel underground. Those spotted on roads are rescued safely,” said Vadodara-based wildlife activist and crocodile rescuer Hemant Vadhvana.Wildlife activists say the crocodile population in the Vishwamitri is also on the rise, with the river providing abundant food and a relatively safe habitat for the reptiles to thrive.The growing presence of crocodiles has prompted the civic authorities to install warning signs at several points along the river, urging people to keep away from the water because of the reptiles.For Vadodara, the annual monsoon invasion may be unusual, but it also reflects a remarkable and sometimes uneasy coexistence between a rapidly growing city and the wildlife that has long called its river home.442 crocs in Vishwamitri riverVadodara is the only city in the country that’s home to hundreds of crocodiles staying in dense urban areas. According to the forest department census conducted in 2025, Vishwamitri River that flows through the city has over 442 crocodiles.
