GMDA to take measures to curb waterlogging at Iffco Chowk underpass

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority will start work on correcting the alignment of the Iffco Chowk underpass and fix the underground drains next month to check waterlogging at the spot, officials said

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority will start work on correcting the alignment of the Iffco Chowk underpass and fix the underground drains next month to check waterlogging at the spot, officials said.

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During the construction of the underpass, a small section of the existing drain was inadvertently left behind, which is causing waterlogging since it was opened in March 2019, said officials of the GMDA.

Officials said that the existing drain is located on an incline, which has caused a bottleneck at the spot and severely limited the capacity of the existing drainage outlet. Only a fraction of the water flows to the master drains, while the rest causes flooding of the underpass due to backflow, said officials.

“During construction of the underpass, one section of the drainage line was inadvertently left behind. It is hampering the drainage capacity of the new line and only a fraction of water is passing through and eventually, flowing towards GMDA’s master leg 2. The rest of it flows back and causes the underpass to flood every time there is heavy rain,” said a senior GMDA official with its infrastructure division.

The official cited above said that the GMDA will fix the problems by widening the 350-metre affected section and introducing a pipeline parallel to it, to ensure rainwater flows to the other end at “optimum capacity.”

“Iffco Chowk is one of the 19 most critical waterlogging points in the city and its reasons for flooding were examined earlier this year. We are looking to start work by next month and finish it before the monsoon season,” said the official.

Waterlogging has been a major problem at the underpass. In August 2019, following heavy rains, the underpass was inundated and closed for 26 hours. “We have identified around 20 (19) critical most waterlogging points in the city. Work has been executed on various fronts to ensure minimal amount of rainwater accumulates at each of these points,” said Sudhir Rajpal, chief executive officer (CEO), GMDA.

The senior official of the GMDA cited above said the authority has completed de-silting the master drains on Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) Road. In addition, the GMDA is also planning on building a culvert near the underpass for ensuring more rainwater can be drained out of the junction.