A nine-year-old girl reportedly fell into an uncovered drain near Pipalaj on Ahmedabad’s Narol-Pirana Road on October 10, prompting a prolonged search by the fire department amid flowing water, chemical effluent and ongoing infrastructure work. The supplied report contains conflicting details about the child’s age and the depth of the drain, which require confirmation from the authorities.
According to Divya Bhaskar’s report, the girl, identified as Manisha Salat, was travelling home with her parents and two younger brothers after visiting an area near a canal. The family reportedly got down from a rickshaw near the Pipalaj octroi naka while the child’s mother was paying the fare. The girl then moved a short distance behind the family and fell through an open drain.
The report identifies the girl as nine years old in one section and quotes her mother referring to her as 10 years old in another. It also describes the drain as 20 feet deep in the main account, while the report’s summary refers to a depth of 40 feet. These discrepancies mean the child’s age and the drain’s exact dimensions should not be treated as established until confirmed by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, police or fire department.
Fire officer Pritesh Gadhvi was quoted as saying that drainage-line work was under way when the girl fell. He said the child may have been carried forward by the water current. A firefighter identified as Prakashbhai reportedly said that the lower section contained around 15 feet of drainage and chemical-laden water, making it difficult for rescuers to enter the flow directly.
The fire department had been searching for around three hours when the report was published. Its teams were checking a drainage line within a radius of approximately one kilometre and extending the search towards areas near a river and canal. The operation was also reportedly affected by ongoing work on the Narol-Sarkhej corridor, the absence of street lighting and the continuing flow of water below ground.
Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot reached the site after being informed about the incident. He was quoted as saying that two lines run around 35 feet below the location and that search operations were continuing near the bridge, river and canal. Barot also said that the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation had not opened the drain cover and questioned who had left it uncovered.
The account raises an immediate institutional question about responsibility at work sites where drainage infrastructure remains open. The supplied report does not establish who removed the cover, whether the location had barricades or warning signs, or which agency or contractor was responsible for securing the opening. Those points require confirmation through the municipal corporation, the agency executing the road or drainage work and the police investigation.
The child’s mother, Paruben, said she was holding the girl’s hand before releasing it briefly to pay the rickshaw driver. She reportedly heard the girl shout and then saw that she had fallen into the uncovered drain. The family lives in Ganeshnagar’s informal settlement, and the girl’s father works as a casual labourer, according to the report.
The fire department’s next confirmed update, the child’s status and an official account of the drain’s ownership, cover condition and safety arrangements will be necessary to establish the full sequence of events. Until those details are verified, the incident remains a reported rescue emergency with unresolved questions about the protection of open drainage infrastructure during ongoing construction work.
