Flood preparedness drills to be held at 14 underpasses in the city

Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority will conduct drills at all 14 underpasses in the city to prepare for the monsoon season and prevent water-logging. The drills will test drainage systems and pumps at each underpass, and will be held with officials from the National Highways Authority of India, public works department and DLF. Last year, the underpasses remained largely unaffected during the rains following steps taken by civic authorities. The drills will be held from 29 May to 4 June, with traffic continuing to ply as normal through the underpasses.

To ensure flood preparedness and prevent water-logging during the monsoon season, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) will conduct drills at all 14 underpasses in the city.

Gurugram, India-May 25, 2023: A view of the underpass at Rajiv Chowk near Tau Devi Lal stadium, in Gurugram, India, on Thursday, 25 May 2023. The GMDA (Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority) will conduct a mock drill to stop the water logging in the underpass during the monsoon season. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)**To go with with Abhishek Behl's story

The drills will be carried out along with officials of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the public works department and DLF as per their respective jurisdictions, said senior GMDA officials.

The plan is to test the drainage system and pumps installed at these underpasses and to check their efficacy in preventing any water accumulation, officials said.

According to the schedule prepared by GMDA, the drill at underpasses under NHAI, at Ambience Mall, will be held on May 29, Shankar Chowk on May 30, Iffco Chowk Metro station to MG Road on May 31, Signature Tower on June 1, Rajiv Chowk underpass on June 2, Hero Honda Chowk on June 3 and Medanta Road on June 4.

Fire tenders required for the drill will be provided by the fire department and traffic movement will not be affected by the drill, said officials.

PC Meena, CEO, GMDA, said, “Drills have been scheduled at all underpasses in the city to gauge the condition of the pumping machinery and ensure that they are working at full capacity. Any remedial measures that needs to be taken by the departments concerned will be executed on priority to address water-logging concerns at these underpasses and to prevent any inconvenience to commuters during the monsoon months.”

Water-logging at the underpasses during the monsoon has been a major problem in Gururgam with several of them going underwater even after a short span of rain.

Last year was the first time in a long time that the situation had remained under control and underpasses remained largely unaffected during the rains. That was the result of several steps taken by civic authorities to prevent water-logging, said officials, adding that drills at all underpasses were conducted for the first time last year.

“During the drills, traffic will continue to ply as normal through the underpasses and all lanes will be open to commuters,” a GMDA spokesperson said.

The spokesperson further said the drill will be held at the U-turn underpasses in DLF Cyber City on May 29, Sikanderpur underpass on May 30, DLF Phase 1 underpass on June 3 and the Genpact underpass on June 4.

The drill at the newly constructed Atul Kataria Chowk underpass has been scheduled for May 31 and that at the new underpass at Mahavir Chowk will be held on June 2. The drill at Huda City Centre underpass will be carried out on June 1, said the authority.