A 20-year-old visually impaired woman remained missing on October 11 after reportedly falling into an open drainage line near Piplej Road along Ahmedabad’s Narol–Vishala highway, prompting a second day of searches by fire brigade and police teams. The search has extended from the drainage network to the Sabarmati riverbed because the line carries wastewater towards the Pirana sewage treatment plant.
The woman reportedly fell into the open drainage line at around 3pm on October 10. Fire brigade personnel searched the area until late that night but did not locate her. Teams resumed operations on the morning of October 11 near the outlet under the Narol–Vishala bridge, examining the direction of the Sabarmati’s flow.
According to the report, the drainage line contains sewage and chemically contaminated water, making it unsafe for rescuers to enter directly. Fire brigade teams have therefore been searching from accessible points along the system and the riverbed. Authorities are also examining whether the woman may have moved through connected drainage sections or reached an outlet near the river.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s engineering department said the line is a main drainage channel carrying wastewater from parts of the eastern city directly to the Pirana sewage treatment plant. The wastewater is treated there before being released into the Sabarmati. Several nearby connections feed into the main line, prompting teams to open and inspect manholes at different locations.
The incident has also brought attention to the condition of drainage infrastructure along the Narol–Vishala highway and Piplej Road. The municipal corporation has begun replacing broken covers and placing covers over open drainage lines in the area after the fall was reported. Work was under way from the morning of October 11, according to the report.
The search operation remains focused on the drainage outlet near the Sabarmati riverbed and on connected manholes along the main line. Fire brigade and police teams are continuing the inspection while civic officials carry out repairs to exposed and damaged sections of the drainage network.
