Ahmedabad’s weather has been characterised by sporadic rainfall over recent days, as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts continued precipitation through the weekend and into the coming week. Despite this influx, the city’s primary water reservoir, Chandola Lake, remains alarmingly underfilled, highlighting a significant disparity between rainfall distribution and water storage.
On Wednesday, Ahmedabad experienced scattered showers, with rainfall varying across the city. The Memco area recorded the highest precipitation at 14.5mm, while Danapith, Odhav, Viratnagar, and other localities received between 6mm and 11mm. The average rainfall across the city stood at 5.87mm. In response to these conditions, the Vasna barrage’s six gates were opened to manage water levels, discharging a substantial 11,058 cusecs into the Sabarmati River. Additionally, the Narmada canal recorded an inflow of 7,902 cusecs, and the Sant Sarovar Dam gained 2,652 cusecs. Despite these measures, Chandola Lake, the largest in Ahmedabad, is critically underfilled, holding merely 1.7% of its capacity. This lake has a potential storage of 5,892 million litres but currently holds only 100 million litres. This severe deficit underscores the ongoing challenges in water management faced by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).
While 89 of Ahmedabad’s 156 lakes are now filled between 50% and 100% capacity, the persistent low levels at Chandola Lake reflect deeper systemic issues. The lake’s underutilisation is a contributing factor to recurrent waterlogging in areas such as Ektanagar and across 15 other localities including Isanpur, Maninagar, and Danilimda. The AMC’s struggle to effectively channel rainwater into Chandola Lake over the past decade continues to exacerbate flooding concerns and highlights a critical need for improved water management strategies. This situation reveals a broader challenge in urban water resource management, with significant implications for infrastructure and flood resilience in Ahmedabad.
