Uttarayan accidents, injuries rise by 50% over six years in Gujarat

Accidents and injuries reported during the two-day Uttarayan festival have increased by nearly one-and-a-half times over the past six years, according to data from the 108 Emergency service. 

Officials have warned that more than 11,700 emergency cases are likely to be reported across Gujarat on January 14 and 15 this year.

Uttarayan, celebrated with great enthusiasm across districts including Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat, Bhavnagar, Banaskantha, Panchmahal, Sabarkantha, Valsad and Anand, is traditionally marked by kite-flying. 

However, the festivities are often accompanied by a sharp rise in injuries and accidents, particularly those linked to kite strings and increased road traffic.

Authorities said the holiday period also sees a surge in travel, contributing to a higher number of road accidents during the festival days.

In anticipation of the spike in emergencies, the 108 EMRI service has put special arrangements in place. The service will deploy a network of 1,481 road ambulances, along with two boat ambulances and one air ambulance, to respond to incidents across the state.

On an average day, the 108 helpline receives around 4,424 emergency calls. However, based on trends from previous years, officials estimate that approximately 5,991 calls will be received on January 14 and around 5,716 on January 15.

For comparison, the number of emergency calls recorded during Uttarayan in 2020 stood at 3,953 on January 14 and 3,998 on January 15. 

Officials said the figures highlight a significant rise in festival-related emergencies over the past six years.