Gurgaon: Essel Tower residential complex on MG Road suffers the brunt of waterlogging - Hindustan Times
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Gurgaon: Essel Tower residential complex on MG Road suffers the brunt of waterlogging

Hindustan Times | By, Gurgaon
Jun 22, 2017 11:05 PM IST

Residents said recent re-carpeting of roads around the Essel Tower complex aggravated the waterlogging problem as it is located in a low-lying area

Residents of Essel Tower, an upscale residential complex on MG Road, face arguably the brunt of the city’s waterlogging problem every year.

Due to waterlogging, the residents are forced to park their vehicles on the service lane or MG Road.(HT PHOTO)
Due to waterlogging, the residents are forced to park their vehicles on the service lane or MG Road.(HT PHOTO)

The water harvesting pits are lying defunct since 2002 and need to be reconstructed. The cost of reconstructing the pits comes to about 20 lakh, which,the residents said, they have to shell out of their pockets despite paying for maintenance.

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Due to waterlogging, the residents are forced to park their vehicles on the service lane or MG Road during the rainy season.

The residents alleged that the problem is due to the faulty design, as the entire complex has been built in a low-lying area.

The level of roads surrounding the complex has gone up after re-carpeting, resulting in flooding of the entry gate of the complex and the basements.

“Even storm water drainage within the complex has not been designed keeping in view the maximum rainfall in half an hour period in the area, which is the normal design practice for any industrial or residential complex”, said Brij Lal Gupta, a technocrat and convenor of the technical committee of Essel Tower Residents’ Welfare Association.

Even after complaining to the developer for more than five years about the sewage water backflow to the complex, the residents haven’t got much relief.

The RWA members alleged that every year, the fear of driving through knee deep water weighs heavily on the minds of residents.

“Since our complex is situated in a low-lying area, the sewer backflow leaves our premises inundated both from the MG Road and Sushant Lok ends. Only an SUV (equipped with better ground clearance) would enable one to drive around in our complex during the monsoon. I have seen many cars stalled under knee-deep water. We often have to shell out a lumpsum to get our cars repaired,” Rajeev Sinha, president, RWA, said.

“Once the rain stops and the sewer get less water from the Mall Mile, we start pumping water. It takes a minimum 3 hours to clear waterlogging and another 3- 4 days to clear the muck from the complex.The sewer backflow into our complex also poses a health risk to our residents. The authorities need to ensure a proper disposal of sewer water in the city,” Sinha said.

Read I Gurgaon admin does damage control after waterlogging halts traffic

“There is no technological solution to the (waterlogging) problem. However, it could be reduced by pumping water. There are two main reasons that aggravate the situation. As the sewer lines are not cleaned regularly, there capability to discharge water is not what it should be. Secondly, the storm water drains at MG road are lying defunct. Even water from MG Road flows into our society. The discharging apparatus on MG Road needs to be neat and clean to be able to help in dealing with the waterlogging problem,” Devinder Sharma, who retired as additional secretary in the Union water resources ministry and was also a member and chairman of the 3-member Water Commission of the Centre, said.

RK Aggarwal, vice president, Essel Housing Private Ltd, said the complex was developed 14 years ago and the engineering team involved with the project are no longer with the company. However, he assured looking into the problem.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Leena Dhankhar has worked with Hindustan Times for five years. She has covered crime, traffic and excise. She now reports on civic issues and grievances of residents.

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