A nine-year-old visually impaired girl fell into an uncovered drainage line near Shastri Bridge on Ahmedabad’s Vishala-Narol Road on Saturday evening, prompting a rescue operation involving three fire brigade teams, senior fire officials and police personnel.
The incident occurred at around 5.30 pm near the road leading towards Dev Farm and Sewage Farm, according to a report by Gujarat Samachar – Ahmedabad. The girl, identified as Manisha Bhalabhai Salat, had arrived at the location with her mother in an autorickshaw.
According to the report, Manisha fell into the open drain moments after getting down from the autorickshaw. Her mother was paying the driver when the child’s hand slipped from hers. The girl then moved backwards by a few steps and fell into the uncovered drainage line. As she is visually impaired, she could not see the open drain on the roadside.
The fall triggered panic at the location, with the child’s mother raising an alarm and local residents gathering near the drain. Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services were alerted soon afterwards. Three fire brigade teams, including three senior officers, reached the site along with police personnel and began searching for the girl.
The report said the rescue operation was underway to locate and bring Manisha out of the drain safely. It did not confirm the outcome of the operation or provide an official statement on the child’s condition at the time of publication.
The incident has also led to anger among local residents, who have called for action against the civic authorities for allowing an open drain to remain beside a public road. The report attributed the public reaction to the uncovered drainage infrastructure and the danger it posed to pedestrians, particularly a child who could not see the hazard.
Open drains and uncovered sewerage lines can create immediate risks on roads used by pedestrians, residents and public transport users. In this case, the reported fall followed a brief moment during a routine autorickshaw stop, underscoring how quickly an unprotected roadside opening can become a safety emergency.
The report did not specify which department was responsible for the drain, how long it had remained uncovered, or whether the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation had issued a response. The immediate official action described in the report was the fire brigade and police response at the site, with rescue personnel continuing efforts to locate the child.
