30 Hours and Still Missing: Search For 10-Year-Old Visually Impaired Girl Who Fell Into Pirana Drainage Line Hampered by Missing Map

AHMEDABAD — More than 30 hours after a heartbreaking accident near the Pirana dumping site, a 10-year-old visually impaired girl remains missing after slipping into a raging, chemical-laden drainage line. Despite intensive round-the-clock search operations by the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES), rescue teams are facing severe roadblocks, with fire officials alleging that a lack of proper drainage maps from the engineering department has crippled the search effort.

The tragic incident occurred around 3:00 pm on Saturday near the Pirana four roads on the Vishala-Narol highway. The victim fell into an open or exposed section of the city's massive sewer network.

Fire department officials stated that search teams have thoroughly scoured the adjacent river stretch up to three kilometres away, alongside inspecting all downstream sewage pumping stations in the vicinity, but have found no trace of the child thus far.

Missing Drainage Map Hampers Rescue Operation

The rescue operation has exposed critical coordination gaps between municipal departments. A senior fire official voiced deep frustration over the absence of institutional support, stating that the engineering department has failed to provide a blueprint or map of the network.

Key hurdles stalling the search include:

• No Network Map: Fire teams are navigating blind without layout schematics of the underground pipeline network.
• Toxic Conditions: The targeted conduit carries heavy industrial and domestic sewage mixed with chemical effluent from eastern Ahmedabad, where toxic fumes make breathing inside the line nearly impossible for divers.
• Delayed Recovery Timeline: Officials noted that in standard rescue scenarios within similar conduits, bodies typically surface within 20 hours. The prolonged delay has amplified anxiety among family members and local residents.

Engineering Wing Explains Pipeline Network

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's engineering wing clarified that the conduit in question is a primary trunk line collecting sewage from multiple residential and industrial pockets across eastern Ahmedabad.

The wastewater flows through this arterial channel toward a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) for processing before the treated water is eventually discharged into the river. Because the pipeline connects directly to major pumping networks and river outlets, rescue teams have been forced to split their efforts between surface water searches in the river and physical checks at valve chambers.

Mayor and Officials Visit Site Amid Public Outrage

As the search stretched into its second day without a breakthrough, Ahmedabad's Mayor and senior municipal authorities rushed to the site to take stock of the situation.

The failure to locate the girl after over 30 hours—compounded by the fire department’s public admission that civic engineers have not handed over critical infrastructure maps—has sparked sharp questions regarding municipal accountability, safety protocols around open drainage networks, and inter-departmental synergy.

Fire and rescue personnel confirmed that search operations along the riverbanks and downstream channels will continue unabated until the child is located.