Ahmedabad: AMC’s claim that its Rs 845-crore stormwater infrastructure project would ease waterlogging has come under scrutiny after heavy rain inundated large parts of the city’s western areas.AMC laid a 27.2-km eastern main trunk Line at a cost of Rs 457 crore and a 28.7-km western main trunk line at Rs 388 crore. For the past year, civic officials maintained that the new trunk lines would significantly improve rainwater drainage.Between 8am on Thursday and 2pm on Friday, western Ahmedabad received 10-18 inches of rain, triggering waterlogging at more than 300 locations. Rainwater entered over 100 housing societies in Bopal, Ghuma, Bodakdev, Thaltej, Memnagar, Sarkhej, Juhapura, Maktampura and Bakrol, raising questions about the effectiveness of the drainage network.Before the 2025 monsoon, AMC had 25 heavy dewatering pump sets deployed across the city to clear waterlogged areas. These pumps were used at around 100 locations. Ahead of the 2026 monsoon, the civic body decided to procure five more heavy-duty pumps and approved separate shift-wise payments for their operation and maintenance.The move followed severe flooding in July 2022, when areas such as Jodhpur, Satellite and Anandnagar remained waterlogged for three to four days, drawing sharp criticism of the civic administration. In Oct 2022, the AMC standing committee approved the purchase of 10 heavy dewatering pumps along with a five-year contract for pumping out water from low-lying areas.Despite deploying all available pumps after Thursday’s rain, several key roads in the city’s western belt remained submerged. Late on Thursday night, floodwaters had yet to recede in more than 100 societies spread across the Memnagar-Sarkhej and Bopal-Shela corridors.
