Riches can't fix infra for Rajpath-Rangoli villas

Even the swankiest addresses in Ahmedabad are not immune to the city's waterlogging woes. High-net-worth families residing in societies along the Rajpath-Rangoli Road are battling waterlogging for the third straight year despite the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) spending almost Rs 25 crore on desilting stormwater drains, building a percolating well and maintaining catchpits.
Last year, ahead of monsoon, the AMC had begun work on a project worth Rs 19.86 crore to desilt stormwater lines that connected six smaller lakes in the vicinity.
The civic body also constructed a percolating well near Mahila Lake ahead of monsoon this year. However, despite these efforts, the societies surrounding the lake continue to grapple with waterlogging. Since Sunday, every time it rains, stormwater paralyses the Rajpath-Rangoli Road.
A similar problem persists on the access roads in front of the bungalows near Mahila Lake, behind Rajpath Club. The residents put up with the same issue during the monsoon last year and the year before. "In the Bodakdev ward, roads adjoining Vraj Villa bungalows and Vanshree Villa bungalows remain submerged in three to four feet deep water," said a senior AMC official. A few months ago, the civic body built a percolating well for Rs 13 lakh to prevent waterlogging in the area.
Another issue that compounds the problem is waterlogging on stretches along SG Road. Recently, the AMC had undertaken a project to desilt stormwater lines connecting Jagatpur Lake, Chharodi Lake, Thaltej Lake, Mahila Lake, Ambli Lake, RMS Lake and Makarba Lake. But these areas continue to get waterlogged.
"The stormwater from the internal roads behind Rajpath Club flows into the Mahila Lake. Ideally, the water should flow from Mahila Lake into Ambli Lake and Makarba Lake. Gravity alone is insufficient to facilitate this flow. There is no efficient pumping system to pump water quickly into stormwater lines during a downpour," the official added.