Surtis experience horror in city’s waterlogged spots

SURAT: For any Surti, crossing through Kadarsha Ni Naal during the monsoon is a nightmarish experience. The reason is the waterlogged crossroads, which is also now under redevelopment route for the metro. When the spot was not under development plan, it remained submerged under at least two-foot deep water even when it rained only a few mm.
Every year, the low-lying area is waterlogged up to a couple of feet and it lasts for several hours with only few inches of rain. Similarly, waterlogging is common on VIP road, Kadodara road and Udhna main road.
In the past week, the city received not even two-inch rain in a couple of hours but these spots accumulated water and made them unmotorable. Civic officials hold the low level of the spots responsible for the limited capacity of the storm water drainage.
“At a few spots, the waterlogging is due to the spots’ level. At these locations, the water will recede only through storm water drainage which has limited capacity. But at most locations, the water recedes in a couple of hours,” said a senior official of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC).
Explaining waterlogging in areas near rivulets, the official claimed: “On VIP road, the rivulet is nearby but when the water level is high in the rivulet itself, it will not take additional water. Hence at these spots, the water takes time to recede.”
SMC sources say that waste accumulation in storm water drainage creates issues at many locations. Plastic or food leftovers block rainwater from passing through the drainage at many locations.