Gurugram authority identifies 98 points to install recharge wells to catch rainwater

The recharge wells, which pump water back into the ground, will be installed in low-lying areas so that water accumulated around it and from nearby localities can be pumped in through pipes attached to recharge the groundwater level

The Gurugram metropolitan development authority (GMDA) has identified 98 points across the city to install recharge wells to catch rainwater and decrease runoff, officials said during a residents’ advisory council meeting at the GMDA office in Sector 44 on Friday.

Rainwater harvesting tanks in a village. The move came after the residents raised the issue of severe waterlogging in different parts of the city during the monsoon. (Representative image/HT Archive)

The move came after the residents raised the issue of severe waterlogging in different parts of the city during the monsoon. “During the meeting, many residents raised the issue of waterlogging in the city, to which solutions are being worked out regularly. Earlier, we had decided that the green belts in the city would be lowered so that the rainwater percolates down to the ground. Now, we have identified 98 points across the city where recharge wells -- which are reverse-borewells -- will be installed so that the rainwater that accumulates on the surface can go down and recharge the groundwater level,” said a senior GMDA official during the meeting.

The recharge wells, which pump water back into the ground, will be installed in low-lying areas so that water accumulated around it and from nearby localities can be pumped in through pipes attached to recharge the groundwater level. Some of the areas identified by the authority include parks in sectors 9, 4, 10, and 23 among other locations. These are also among areas which report maximum waterlogging, said the officials.

Meanwhile, the chief executive officer (CEO) of GMDA, Sudhir Rajpal, also held a review meeting with Jal Mitras working as representatives of various sectors and RWAs in Gurugram to streamline and improve water supply in the city. Pipelines laid for water supply in the city have been connected to different underground water tanks, which can be monitored online through the Jal Mitra application, using supervisory control and data acquisition.

During the meeting, residents also said that water supply has improved in areas like Essel Tower, Sector 16 Canal Colony, Mehrauli Road, Maruti, and Malibu Town. “The water supply must improve further, making it convenient for the consumers. In case of blockage of water supply, people should be informed through the application in advance. It needs to be made consumer-friendly. New water supply pipelines will also be laid in sectors 112, 113 and 114,” said Rajpal.