AMC plans ₹300-Cr overhaul of old water, drainage lines amid surge in waterborne diseases

The Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has drawn up plans to replace ageing water supply and drainage lines at an estimated cost of ₹300 crore, as cases of waterborne diseases continue to rise across the city.

The move comes amid concerns of a potential public health crisis similar to the one witnessed in Indore and has prompted a series of high-level meetings within the civic body.

Diseases such as diarrhoea, vomiting, jaundice, typhoid and cholera have been reported from several parts of Ahmedabad, leading the civic body to declare 26 areas as epidemic hotspots. 

Localities including Gomtipur, Behrampura, and Danilimda have been identified as particularly vulnerable due to old water and drainage lines running beneath densely populated residential areas.

Civic officials said replacing these lines would require the demolition of houses built directly above municipal infrastructure. A survey has been initiated by the AMC’s standing committee to assess the number of structures that may need to be removed.

Standing Committee chairman Devang Dani said the estimated cost of replacing the old water and drainage network would be around ₹300 crore.

Dani said that until the issue of contamination is permanently resolved, residents in affected areas would be supplied with water through tankers. He added that the corporation has decided to lay new pipelines in place of the old ones as a long-term solution. 

All civic departments have also been instructed to maintain cleanliness and dispose of rotting vegetables and waste from vegetable and food markets to curb the spread of disease.

However, the proposed infrastructure overhaul has raised concerns among residents of eastern and southern Ahmedabad, where many families have been living at places for 30 to 40 years. 

Most residents belong to low-income and working-class communities, and it remains uncertain whether they will agree to the demolition of their homes to facilitate the replacement of underground pipelines.

Civic officials have yet to take a firm decision on whether affected residents will be provided financial compensation or alternative accommodation if their houses are demolished.

Meanwhile, ahead of the standing committee meeting on Thursday, the mayor and other senior office-bearers held a closed-door meeting with the Municipal Commissioner in the mayor’s chamber to discuss the emerging public health situation and measures to control it.

The meeting followed a strong rebuke by the Commissioner to officials during a weekly review earlier this week over their handling of the outbreak.