Gurugram civic body turns to drones, radar for monsoon flood plan

Gurugram's Municipal Corporation launches a tech-driven master plan to improve stormwater management, aiming to reduce waterlogging by up to 70%.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has launched a technology-driven master plan that uses drones, digital elevation models and ground radar surveys to redesign stormwater management in a bid to tackle chronic waterlogging and traffic snarls during the monsoon. Officials said the initiative, the first of its kind in Haryana, is expected to cut waterlogging at choke points such as Rajiv Chowk, Hero Honda Chowk, Sadar Bazaar and Narsinghpur by 50–70% in the first year.

A waterlogged stretch in Gurugram on Thursday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

High-resolution drone surveys are already underway to capture details of road length, width, central verges and green belts across the city with 10-centimetre accuracy. The data will be used to build 2D and 3D elevation models that simulate rainfall and predict how water accumulates in different areas. “The slope of land is natural, but with this technology, we can forecast water accumulation, pinpoint chokepoints, and design tailored interventions,” MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya said.

While the initial drone survey has been pegged at ₹1 crore, officials said full-scale mapping, radar surveys and rectification works may require ₹60 crore. The proposal also includes a Gurugram Cloudburst Unit, modelled on New York’s task forces, to coordinate the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), traffic police and local groups under a single authority. The process is underway at the MCG, and only after it is finalised will the next stage be taken up,

The ₹1-crore survey is being conducted under the state’s GIS-based planning body, Drishya. Ground-penetration radar will be deployed to identify missing or disconnected links between the city’s drains and the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority’s (GMDA) main channels. Officials said the mapping exercise will also form the basis for tender documents and standard operating procedures for future flood management.

The blueprint borrows from global models, officials said. In Copenhagen, streets have been converted into temporary rivers to channel water into parks and lakes, while New York’s “Cloudburst Streets” use permeable pavements, tree pits and underground tanks to store excess water. Gurugram plans to adapt these into an “absorb, store, transfer” strategy combining porous pavements and rain gardens to allow seepage, ponds and dual-use parks to hold water, and regraded streets and drains to push it away from low-lying areas, they added.

“Flooding is not the right term. Fields don’t flood—they absorb, store, and transfer water. Gurugram must do the same by building both grey infrastructure, like upgraded sewers and pumping stations, and blue-green solutions that blend with ecology,” Dahiya said.

As part of the plan, 74 ponds under MCG’s jurisdiction will be developed as watersheds for rainwater storage, modelled on systems in New York where ponds act as buffers during cloudbursts. Leisure Valley and Tau Devi Lal parks may be retrofitted into “dual-use flood parks” that serve as recreation areas in dry weather and temporary reservoirs during extreme rainfall. Road medians and cycle tracks are also being considered for redesign with permeable soil trenches.

Officials said the project’s co-benefits could include groundwater recharge, reduced urban heat, cleaner air and higher property values. “This is not just about drains. It is about making Gurugram safer, greener, and more liveable. If citizens partner with us in conserving water and keeping drains encroachment-free, we can make Gurugram a national model for urban flood management,” Dahiya said.