Overflowing lakes in Ahmedabad a health hazard: Residents

While Amdavadis woke up to the reality of inundated roads and submerged houses, what also came as a rude shock was the condition of the Vastrapur lake. The joggers' track where people run and jog every morning, the benches on which they relax and the lawn where they perform Yoga - these had all disappeared - under the overflowing water of the lake!

The Vastrapur lake is not the only one, connected under the Auda's lake interlinking project, that faced this problem. The lakes near Prahaladnagar, Chandlodia and Sola were all in the same condition. For security reasons, these lakes had to be closed down.

Residents around the lakes, who otherwise appreciate the beauty of the area, also blame them for being a major health hazard. With drainage water flowing unabated in the lakes, these easily become a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes.

The root of the whole problem, it seems, are the faulty lines laid by the Auda. Recently, AMC officials had said that the waterlogging in some areas is caused by the faulty pipelines laid by the Auda.

“Under the lake interlinking project, the Auda has laid drainage lines to connect all the 16 lakes. But it has not laid a parallel stormwater drainage line to carry the additional water. Moreover, the Auda has not connected the Vastrapur lake with the one in Makarba,” said an official, adding that if this had been done, the Vastrapur lake would not have overflowed.

Residents around the Prahaladnagar lake have been complaining of dirty water flowing onto the road after the lake gets filled with drainage water. They say that during the monsoon, they fear contracting diseases like malaria and dengue. One child also reportedly lost his life, after he slipped into the muck, in 2005.