Before a single monsoon cloud breaks over Ahmedabad, the city is already deep in its drains. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has cleaned more than 64,000 catchpits across all seven zones — the first phase of a citywide drive to stop the flooding that swamps streets every rainy season.
Catchpits are road-level collection points that funnel rainwater into the storm drainage network. When silt and plastic block them, streets flood within minutes of heavy rain. Ahmedabad now has 72,586 catchpits in total — up from 66,580 — after the AMC added 6,006 new ones this year.
Where the Work Happened
The West Zone led the city with 13,131 catchpits cleaned. The North West Zone followed with 11,032, then the North Zone at 9,536, East Zone at 8,990, South Zone at 7,534, South West Zone at 7,529 and Central Zone at 6,261. In all, 64,013 of 72,586 catchpits were cleaned in this first phase. The remaining 8,573 are expected to be covered before the rains arrive.
“Regular monitoring and preventive maintenance are being prioritised to ensure that the flow of rainwater is not obstructed,” the AMC said.
The AMC also launched a parallel campaign on storm water manholes, adding 2,681 new ones to bring the city total to 26,685. The North West Zone has the highest concentration at 7,465. The East Zone follows at 4,731.
Monsoon Response Teams on Standby
Engineering departments, storm water teams, and field staff will stay active across all zones once the rains begin. The AMC has arranged on-site rapid response capacity to handle waterlogging complaints as they come in.
“Continuous monitoring, pre-monsoon checking, and special planning for rapid on-site response have been arranged,” the corporation said.
The monsoon typically reaches Ahmedabad in late June. With Phase 1 complete, the city is racing the calendar.
IANS
Support Us To Sustain Independent Environmental Journalism In India.
Keep Reading
How Solar Solutions Are Helping Protect Crops from Wild Animals
Pench Tiger Reserve: How a Man Survived a Tiger Attack
