One inch rainfall can trigger a flood in Surat

The filth left behind by the recent flood has choked the storm drainage network.

SURAT: If there's even one inch rainfall in an hour, Surat would see another flood, fear civic authorities of the city, as the capacity of the storm drainage system has been reduced to 50 per cent due to heavy silting during the recent floods.

According to Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) authorities, because of the unprecedented floods witnessed in Surat recently, there is more than three feet of muck deposition in the storm drainage network.

"The water carrying capacity of the storm drainage network has been reduced by the muck, and it has also got damaged at several places, thus preventing the flow of rain water into the river," said V D Patel, additional city engineer of SMC. The removal of muck has become a major problem for the officials. "It is very difficult to remove the filth from the drainage network, more so because it has dried as there was almost no rain after the floods. The work cannot be done manually. We are also facing shortage of sewer jet machines, which can be used to pump out the filth from the drainage network," a SMC official said.

Officials said that SMC has made arrangements to bring some sewer jet machines from Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Vadodara, to add pace to the work of removing filth from the storm drainage system.

"Heavy deposition of muck and filth in the storm drainage line should be removed as early as possible, because if Surat receives good amount of rainfall in the coming days, the city would again be flooded. The authorities should initiate early steps in this regards as Surat has a history of receiving rainfall till September end," said Dhiru Gajera, MLA from Surat North constituency.