Ahmedabad: Despite receiving a relatively moderate annual rainfall of 800mm, Ahmedabad frequently faces waterlogging and flash flood-like situations in certain pockets. This stark contrast between precipitation and infrastructure has exposed a significant vulnerability in Ahmedabad’s urban planning . The root of the problem lies in a combination of factors.
Firstly, the city’s stormwater drainage system is inadequate to handle the increasing volume of runoff. In its recent analysis of Ahmedabad’s vulnerability, the ‘Bhuvan’ Isro’s National Flood Vulnerability Assessment System grades Ahmedabad under the ‘moderate to high flood vulnerability zone’. “We found that currently, 55% of the natural drains are passive, primarily due to unplanned road development.
Most of this unplanned road development is in the north-west zone. The South West Zone remains underdeveloped,” said a senior Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) official, citing a recent geo-informatics map prepared in Dec 2023. More alarmingly, he adds, the efficiency of 980km of stormwater drains — which cover 37% of the road network and service 52-55% of the geographical area — is estimated to be just 25% to 50% of peak rainfall capacity, according to the AMC’s 2022 data.
The city receives an average annual rainfall of 800mm. “We have today 121 spots in the city that are prone to severe floods,” said the official. Vasna is identified as the highest flash flood area, with Navrangpura, Paldi.