GMDA to hold mock drill on June 9 to get monsoon-ready

Ahead of the monsoon, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and other civic agencies, including National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), will conduct a mock drill on June 9 to keep waterlogging issues during the rains in check

Ahead of the monsoon, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and other civic agencies, including National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), will conduct a mock drill on June 9 to keep waterlogging issues during the rains in check.

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Officials said that the mock drill will be conducted at four main underpasses — where people face waterlogging issues during the peak of monsoon — in the district.

Pradeep Kumar, chief engineer, infrastructure-II division of GMDA, said, “As part of the mock drill, we will fill water at four underpasses in the district — near Medanta, Rajiv Chowk, IFFCO Chowk and Signature Tower — through tankers. Following this, we will use machineries deployed by GMDA teams and NHAI at these locations to drain out the water. This will give us an idea of how well we can deal with the waterlogging issues during the peak of monsoon, and how the remedial measures taken in the past are working.”

“We are planning to make barriers along the stretch from Vatika Chowk to Southern Peripheral Road — with low habitation and waterlogging issues — so that the water can be diverted to low-lying areas. Thus, the excess water won’t accumulate at Narsinghpur, and can be used for groundwater recharge,” added Kumar.

Meanwhile, during a meeting with several agencies on Friday, GMDA chief executive officer Sudhir Rajpal instructed all the departments to coordinate with each other and ensure that the residents do not face any issue this monsoon. The NHAI officials apprised Rajpal that “a permanent solution has been found for waterlogging issues at Subhash Chowk, with different sides of the road being connected to an underground pipe passing below it”.

Rajpal also ordered the departments to install pumping machines and make arrangements to divert the excess water to green belts or areas with natural depression, so that the water can be used for groundwater recharge.

In May 2021, different parts of the district witnessed heavy waterlogging, with Narsinghpur-Khandsa stretch, Sohna Road, Gurugram bus depot, Rajiv Chowk, and sectors 9 and 10 being some of the worst-affected areas. The district authority has already made diversions at certain stretches near Shiv Nadar School to prevent waterlogging along the Golf Course Road.