Shela boasts of 13 lakes, but still suffers monsoon blues

AHMEDABAD: Sunday’s downpour has shone the spotlight on the pitfalls Shela residents face during monsoon. The problem of waterlogging in Shela is over a decade old, despite the area having 13 lakes, apart from the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd-owned Gota-Godhavi canal.
At the root of the problem is civic apathy. Most of these lakes, now having construction debris and silt, have not been dug or deepened for the last decade by the Ahmedabad urban Development Authority (Auda).
The state water resources secretary on Thursday said in a press release that under the Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan (SSJA) all cities have been directed to desilt lakes and revive local water channels to make cities urban flood and climate resilient. There are 156 lakes within Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) limits, of which the maximum are located in Sarkhej and in Ramol-Hathipanj with eight each.
Shela, which falls under Auda, has 13 lakes, the most in a single village. In 2009, Shela village came under Auda’s jurisdiction and in 2016, three town planning (TP) schemes covering all land in the village were approved. However, during the formation of these TP schemes, alterations to the shapes of some lakes occurred, admit Auda sources.
With construction activity picking up in the area as Auda kept approving large residential schemes, the lakes turned into illegal dumping grounds for debris and became choked.
“Also, a few natural rainwater channels that emptied into Shela’s 13 lakes became obstructed by roads, dwellings and societies. “TP roads came over nalyas, which were natural water channels. This has only exacerbated stormwater accumulation issues resulting in prolonged waterlogging events,” said a senior Auda official.
What Auda is also not able to tap into is the SSNL’s Gota-Godhavi canal, which could potentially alleviate the stormwater problem if rainwater is diverted there. According to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted to the Asian Development Bank, Auda plans laying a Rs 240 crore sewerage network and a Rs 134 crore stormwater network covering areas such as Ghuma, Shela, Godhavi, Manipur, Sanathal and Telav. Delays in tender approvals have hindered progress.