Gurugram admin building open drain to resolve NH-48 waterlogging

Deputy commissioner Ajay Kumar on Monday inspected the ongoing open drain construction and directed officials to expedite the work

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has begun construction of a 750-metre-long open drain to connect the waterlogged Narsinghpur area on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway (NH-48) to the Badshahpur drain, officials said. The work is expected to be completed in 10 days, officials added.

Work underway at the site on Monday. (HT Photo)

Deputy commissioner Ajay Kumar on Monday inspected the ongoing open drain construction and directed officials to expedite the work. He said the drain will be covered after monsoon onset. “This is a major breakthrough in our efforts to mitigate urban flooding. The open drain will directly connect Narsinghpur’s waterlogged patches to the Badshahpur drain, ensuring faster and more effective discharge of rainwater,” Kumar said.

The new drainage line will replace the temporary arrangement in which rainwater was pumped through pipes and directed to the Badshahpur drain near Hero Honda Chowk. With the open drain in place, authorities aim to prevent waterlogging on both the main carriageway and service lanes of NH-48, particularly near Narsinghpur.

Earlier this week, authorities removed encroachments on a six-metre-wide stretch ahead of starting construction. The land for the drain is partly owned by the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC). HSIIDC agreed to give the land for the drain, after which encroachments were cleared and excavation started. Kumar said that the land was acquired after a month of planning and negotiation. “We had to identify an alternative path for drainage due to an ongoing legal dispute. After several rounds of talks with landowners and HSIIDC, a consensus was finally reached last Friday,” he said.

On Friday, Kumar chaired a high-level meeting where a private landowner agreed to allow the construction of the drain adjacent to their property. Simultaneously, directions were issued to appoint a duty magistrate for the removal of any remaining encroachments from HSIIDC land to ensure uninterrupted work.

GMDA officials present at the site confirmed that the drain would significantly ease pressure on existing pumping systems during the monsoon. “This is a long-term solution. Once connected to the Badshahpur drain, the system will facilitate seamless drainage and drastically reduce the risk of road submergence,” said a GMDA drainage division engineer. “The drain will provide a long-term solution for resolving waterlogging concerns on this key stretch along the National Highway,” said Vikram Singh, executive engineer, GMDA.

Environmentalists and residents have frequently raised concerns over persistent flooding in this part of NH-48, especially around Narsinghpur and Hero Honda Chowk, which sees massive traffic disruptions during storms. This open drain is expected to mitigate such problems effectively.

As monsoon clouds loom over Gurugram, authorities are racing against time to complete the project before the onset of heavy rains. Once completed, the drain is anticipated to become a model for resolving urban waterlogging through inter-departmental coordination and ground-level execution.

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority on Monday also carried out a major demolition drive in Narsinghpur and Mohamedpur villages, situated along the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, to facilitate construction of the stormwater drain, which is required to resolve the perennial problem of waterlogging at Narsinghpur, particularly during monsoons.

Earlier this month, NHAI chairman Santosh Yadav had written to the Haryana government to take measures to prevent waterlogging along the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, particularly at Narsinghpur.

A GMDA spokesperson said that Shyamal Mishra, CEO, GMDA, on Monday visited the spot at Narsinghpur to oversee the demolition drive carried out by the enforcement team of the authority. Haryana chief secretary Anurag Rastogi had also called a meeting of GMDA and other stakeholders to discuss the issue of waterlogging at Narsinghpur on Monday evening.

With inputs from Abhishek Behl.