Ahmedabad receives scattered rainfall, city's largest lake remains severely unfilled!

Ahmedabad recorded scattered rainfall on Wednesday, with showers throughout the morning and afternoon. Looking ahead, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted continued rainfall for Ahmedabad.

The forecast for today through the weekend includes generally cloudy skies with moderate rain. This trend is expected to continue into next week, with light rain anticipated on Monday, followed by more rain or possible thundershowers later in the week.

The highest rainfall was recorded in the Memco area at 14.5mm, while other localities experienced varied rainfall — Danapith received 9mm, Odhav 11mm, Viratnagar 9.5mm, Ramol 7mm, Ranip 8mm, Chandlodiya 7.5mm, Sarkhej 8mm, and Chandkheda 6mm. On average, the city recorded 5.87mm of rainfall.

In response, six gates of the Vasna barrage were opened to release water into the Sabarmati River. A total of 11,058 cusecs of water was discharged, with three gates raised by three feet and three by four feet. Meanwhile, the Narmada canal saw an inflow of 7,902 cusecs, and the Sant Sarovar Dam received 2,652 cusecs of water.

Of Ahmedabad’s 156 lakes, 89 are now filled with rainwater at levels between 50% and 100% capacity. However, Chandola Lake, the city’s largest, is severely under-filled, holding only 1.7% of its total capacity. Despite having a storage potential of 5,892 million litres, it currently contains just 100 million litres of water.

The low water levels at Chandola Lake highlight ongoing management challenges, as nearby areas like Ektanagar, just 200 metres from the lake, continue to suffer from waterlogging. In addition, 15 other localities, including Isanpur, Maninagar, Danilimda, and Behrampura, are facing similar issues.

Despite the lake's capacity to hold much more water, for the past decade, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has struggled to effectively divert rainwater into Chandola Lake, contributing to persistent flooding concerns in these areas.