Gurugram: Dhanwapur underpass set for repairs after frequent waterlogging

The 900-metre-long underground passage in Sector 104 has been submerged due to frequent waterlogging and leakage from its inner walls since it became operational in April, said officials privy to matter.

The Dhanwapur underpass, a key link connecting Old Gurugram to new sectors along Dwarka Expressway, will soon undergo repair work, officials said on Tuesday. The 900-metre-long underground passage in Sector 104 has been submerged due to frequent waterlogging and leakage from its inner walls since it became operational in April, said officials privy to matter.

Waterlogging seen in the underpass November 21, 2025. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

A senior official at the public works department (PWD) in Gurugram confirmed that the contractor assigned for the maintenance of the underpass has been directed to proceed with the patchwork. “The patchwork in the inner tubular area, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Indian Railways, will be completed by December. The contractor will restore the leakages reported from its joints,” the senior official said.

According to officials, the 5.5 metre deep underpass underwent waterproofing work in late 2024, however, the layering didn’t sustain due to excessive groundwater levels surrounding the passage, maintained by both the PWD and the Northern Railways. Water pressure around the underground tunnel chamber reaches 5 metres during the monsoon or peak levels, further depositing inside the underpass.

Meanwhile, residents and particularly school children are forced to pass through the underpass filled with knee-deep muddy water. “The students of nearby schools and commuters who often take the route find it difficult to navigate through the underpass safely. Every day around 12.30pm, a tanker comes to drain off the water. But there isn’t a permanent solution to this water clogging,” said Mahesh Kumar, a resident of Hero Homes in Sector 104.

Another resident, Durgesh Pathak of Sector 99a, said that he had been using an alternate 6-kilometer-long route through sectors 4 and 9 to avoid the underpass. “It’s a nightmare to travel through the underpass on two-wheelers. During the rainy season, even four-wheelers break down inside the underpass due to high water levels,” said Pathak.

Charandeep Singh Rana, executive engineer at PWD, said temporary pumps have been deployed in the underpass to clear the deposited water. “Tendering process to procure full-time pumps is underway. A tender will be floated by Wednesday to deploy pumps in the underground passage to fix the waterlogging issue permanently,” said Rana.

Officials at Northern Railways refused to acknowledge any leakages in the underpass. “State authorities had done water leakage treatment last year, but the leakage has started again,” a senior official responsible for the underpass’s upkeep said, refusing to take responsibility for the debilitating condition of the underpass.

PWD had earlier issued a letter to the regional railway authorities in November asking them to initiate repair work again after district administration officials, including the sub-division magistrate (SDM) of Gurugram, Paramjeet Chahal, inspected the stretch in November 2025.

A team of Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), which inspected the underpass and nearby areas in November, found no leakages from sewer lines, according to PWD officials.