Indian Express 02.08.2010
Flood control in Sabarmati a challenge for AMC
Tanvir A Siddiqui Tags : corporation, Flood Posted: Mon Aug 02 2010, 01:38 hrs
Ahmedabad: An unexpected deluge from the Aravalis swept away expensive equipment in the Sabarmati riverbed in August 2006. Prior to the floods, the river’s maximum carrying capacity was calculated at 4.75 lakh cusecs on basis of the rainfall over last 100 years. But now the calculations may prove incorrect.The carrying capacity was calculated on the basis of a 1973 data, when there were no dams at either Dharoi or Vasna. Besides, the retaining wall in the Sabarmati riverbed has been made at a uniform width of 275 yards.
Even a report by the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee in 2007 said “the calculations did not take into account any simultaneous rainfall over the entire catchment area”. In other words, the study had taken into account only the water flow from the Dharoi Dam and not from other places in north Gujarat that also contribute to the volume of water in the Sabarmati
Municipal Commissioner I P Gautam, who is also the ex-officio Chairman of Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (SRFDCL), said it cannot be predicted how much water will flow from Dharoi Dam and other places.
The flood situation in Ahmedabad will depend on the volume of water released from Dharoi Dam in the coming days. He said certain portions of the riverfront project have been left incomplete owing to the issue of rehabilitation, which is pending before the court.
The project was going on as per the recommendation of IIT Roorkee and NIH Roorkee, and all major aspects have been considered except for the unpredictability of water release, he added.
As the NIH report has already clarified that the riverfront development project is “not a flood control scheme”, the municipal corporation will have to work out other measures to meet the impending challenge of floods in case of excessive rains.
