Sinkholes after unseasonal rain exposes city’s road infrastructure flaws

Ahmedabad: A series of instances of road subsidence and depression across Ahmedabad has raised concerns over the safety of nearly 20 city roads that have become vulnerable following extensive civic infrastructure work carried out over the past two years.The latest incident occurred around 8pm on Tuesday in the Vatva area, when a young biker fell into an unbarricaded pit on Bibi Lake Road along with his motorcycle. Fire brigade personnel rescued the man from the pit and shifted him to LG Hospital for treatment. The incident has once again highlighted the growing danger posed by weakened road surfaces across the city.Even before the onset of the monsoon, recent unseasonal rainfall has triggered instances of road subsidence and sinkholes in several parts of Ahmedabad. Civic officials and local sources attribute the problem to ongoing excavation work for stormwater lines, drainage networks, and water pipelines undertaken by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).According to sources, more than 100 major infrastructure projects worth over Rs 3,000 crore are currently underway across Ahmedabad. These include 48 stormwater network projects costing around Rs 1,080 crore, over 30 drainage rehabilitation projects worth more than Rs 1,500 crore, and water network projects exceeding Rs 600 crore.The large-scale excavation and resurfacing work carried out under these projects has left several stretches vulnerable to settling during rains. Authorities fear that many of the affected roads could develop larger sinkholes during the monsoon season.At present, at least five roads in western Ahmedabad have already shown visible signs of subsidence, with small holes and depressions appearing on the surface. Civic officials believe these could widen into major sinkholes if immediate repairs are not carried out.One such case has emerged on RMS Lake Road in Memnagar. Two years ago, the AMC undertook excavation work in the area to lay a stormwater line from AEC Crossroads to RMS Lake and also constructed a percolation well near the lake gate to address chronic waterlogging problems. Although the road was resurfaced about a year ago, a sinkhole appeared on Thursday near RMS Society, directly in front of a caution board installed by the civic body.Similarly, two small sinkholes have appeared on the road connecting Sardar Patel Statue crossroads and Sardar Patel Stadium in Naranpura, near Bharat Krishna Bakery. The stretch had recently undergone excavation for drainage line work before being resurfaced.Similar cases of road depression and cave-ins have also been reported in Vatva, Nikol, and Maninagar areas in recent weeks.Sources said that while caution boards have been placed at several locations after road restoration work, the combination of unfinished underground settlement and unexpected pre-monsoon showers has accelerated the risk of road collapse.Officials fear that if heavy rainfall begins before repair and reinforcement work is completed, several major roads across Ahmedabad could become hazardous for commuters.Head: Risky Roads- Memnagar: From Rajvi Opal Apartments to RMS Lake Road- Motera Lake Road- Gota: Roads around Bandhan Triangle- Juhapura: From Amber Tower to Savera Floral, through Fatehwadi Canal to Fujil Park Road- Shahibaug: From Ghevar Circle to Dafnala Road- Nikol: Madhumalti Apartment Road- India Colony: From Sonia Ceramics to Everest Cross Road- Vejalpur: From Ropda Lake to Shrinandnagar Road- New Maninagar: Roads opened in TP 105, 106, and other TP schemes- Isanpur: From Mahavirnagar Crossroads to the entrance of Komal Park Society