Surat: The protest movement demanding an end to recurring creek floods is gaining momentum as thousands of residents are taking to the streets in Parvat and adjacent areas.A motorcycle rally has been organised for Wednesday, starting from the Parvat area and proceeding to the district collector’s office, where residents plan to submit a memorandum to the collector. Memorandums will also be submitted to the municipal commissioner and mayor.Residents of 30-odd housing societies that face creek flooding every year will participate. Leading up to the rally, campaigners carried out awareness drives through social media and held meetings to mobilise participation and document the scale of losses.The demand, residents said, is for a permanent solution that prevents repeat flooding and safeguards lives, homes and livelihoods. The affected area is linked to flooding from the Mithi Khadi, with residents alleging that long-pending infrastructure and drainage shortcomings have not been addressed.This monsoon, residents said, the area which has around three lakh residents, was flooded three times in 22 days. In many societies, entire ground floors were submerged, forcing families to move belongings to upper levels and leaving residents to deal with flooded buildings for extended periods. The floods also caused extensive losses, including damage to household goods and vehicles, and major stock losses in shops and warehouses.“We are demanding a permanent solution to the creek flood issue. The infrastructure must be developed in a way that we do not get flooded with problems every year,” said Gautam Patel, a resident of Nandanvan Society.Residents say the problem has persisted for years and has intensified in recent times. “For the past 15 years, these areas have been getting flooded. For the past eight years, the matter has become severe as the water rises to eight feet. Even with moderate rain, water enters homes, shops and factories,” said Bhavesh Patel, a resident of Rushi Vihar.Creek flooding is a recurring issue in Saniya Hemad, Saroli, Bhathena and textile market areas, apart from Parvat.“The creeks have become narrow and despite officials knowing the causes, no concrete action is taken. We are demanding permanent solution now,” said Dinesh Patel, a resident of Madhav Baug.
