Surat: Fifteen inches of rain in a day turned large parts of Navsari into lagoons, leaving societies submerged even on Wednesday and eliciting criticism of the city’s urban planning. Residents said flooding in many areas was unprecedented and blamed the closure of natural drainage channels amid rapid development.Kersi Deboo, former vice-chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, told TOI, “After Navsari became a municipal corporation, officials are developing it in an unplanned manner without knowing its geography, history and heritage. Lunsikui ground is not taking water like before due to filling on its borders while Sharbatiya lake’s boundary has also been raised. This has affected a radius of 2km adjoining it, leading to heavy flooding.”Residents said many areas flooded for the first time in the city’s history.Vinod Desai, a chartered accountant, said, “Navsari-Bardoli road got closed due to waterlogging near Vaghech village. This road came up at a cost of Rs 27 crore but failed completely. The rivulet near Nashilpor bullet train track is also overflowing for the first time. Most lakes in Navsari district have been fortified just to utilize spending grants. This flooding has caused devastation in the city.”Navsari’s first mayor said corrective measures would be taken before the next monsoon to prevent a recurrence.“I told all NMC elected members to videograph waterlogging so corrections can be made in planning. With the new developments, this monsoon is a testing time for us and we will try our best to make improvements. Our engineering, road, health and drainage department teams have taken steps to mitigate the situation,” he said.
