Few Hours of Rain Paralyses Ahmedabad: Submerged Roads, Closed Underpasses, and Massive Traffic Snarls Hit Commuters

A sudden and intense spell of monsoon rain battered Ahmedabad on Sunday afternoon, dumping an average of 1.5 inches of rainfall across the city and triggering widespread urban flooding. Lightning strikes and heavy downpours that began around 4:00 PM quickly overwhelmed drainage networks, turning busy thoroughfares into lakes and causing severe traffic gridlocks across eastern and western zones.

Hanspura recorded the highest rainfall at 65 mm, closely followed by Motera at 61.50 mm and Naroda at 55 mm. Peak downpours reached up to 2.5 inches in isolated pockets, leaving residents and evening commuters struggling to navigate submerged routes.

Mithakhali Underpass Shut for Three Hours as Water Levels Rise

The civic machinery was forced into emergency response mode as rising water levels posed serious safety risks. Municipal authorities closed the crucial Mithakhali Underpass to all vehicular traffic at 4:40 PM after runoff completely flooded the passage.

Municipal pumps operated continuously for nearly three hours to clear the deluge before officials finally deemed the passage safe and reopened it around 7:30 PM. The Kubernagar underpass faced similar inundation, forcing courageous two-wheeler riders and motorists to wade through deep, murky water to reach their destinations.

Vehicles Trapped and Roads Caved In Across the City

Chaos unfolded across multiple residential and commercial hubs as structural damage and flooding halted movement:

• Vande Mataram Road Gridlock: In Gota, severe water accumulation along the iconic Vande Mataram Road led to massive tailbacks, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded for hours.
• Waste Collection Vehicle Trapped: On the transit corridor between New Ranip and Vande Mataram Road, an Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) door-to-door garbage collection vehicle sank into a massive, hidden pothole beneath the floodwaters.

• Car Swallowed in Chandlodiya: A private four-wheeler plunged into a cave-in right outside the Uma Sharanam Flats after the tarmac collapsed under the heavy downpour.
• Knee-Deep Flooding in East & West: Inundation was reported outside Saijpur Tower, near the D-Cabin Abunagar Society, and around the Nikol Shukan Cross Roads, throwing local transit into total disarray.

Additional bottlenecks were reported near the Nirnaynagar underpass, Punitnagar crossing, outside the Kaligam Urban Health Centre, and along the Chandkheda-Tragad stretch, forcing drivers to crawl at single-digit speeds.

Rainfall Breakdown Across Key Locations

While Hanspura, Motera, Naroda, Dudheshwar (54.50 mm), and Ranip (50.50 mm) took the brunt of the deluge, rainfall distribution varied widely across municipal zones:

With civic teams deployed across flood-prone corridors to pump out residual water, residents have been advised to exercise caution, avoid flooded underpasses, and prepare for potential delays during peak travel hours.