Gurugram opens bids for new stormwater channel to divert monsoon flow to Palwal

Officials say Najafgarh drain capacity is exceeded in monsoon; new channel could route overflow toward Palwal while exploring ponds and Aravalis options.

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on Wednesday said it has opened technical bids for the tender to appoint a consultant to construct a drain from Badshahpur near Vatika Chowk to Yamuna in Palwal along the Gurugram Sohna road.

Proposed link from Badshahpur to Yamuna in Palwal to divert excess monsoon flow and ease flooding; firm to study route, capacity and alternate alignments. (HT)

Officials said two consulting companies submitted their bids.

A senior GMDA official said that the work will be awarded soon to the eligible firm after financial bids are opened. The company will need to specify the route for the proposed stormwater drain and assess the structure’s capacity, he added.

As per the GMDA, the stakeholder departments, including agriculture, have projected the project cost to be around ₹2,500 crore.

Officials said that the drain will divert stormwater in Gururgam to Yamuna river in Palwal. “During monsoons, around 12,000 to 15,000 cusecs of water from stormwater drains in Gururgam flows into the Najafgarh drain, which has a capacity of only 10,000 cusecs. This excess water normally spreads in agricultural fields along the drain, but often flows back, causing submergence in several areas,” said a senior GMDA official.

The consultants have been asked to conduct topography studies, study the drain’s alignment, and suggest other options, such as diverting water into Aravalis, ponds along Sohna road and neighbouring villages.

GMDA officials added that the drain will help divert about 30% of excess water toward Palwal. “The rain water harvesting system will reduce waterlogging in the city,” the official said.

Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini held a meeting on November 10 last year. He directed that a plan should formed to move rainwater to Yamuna in Palwal, taking suggestions from union minister of state Rao Inderjit Singh and industry minister Rao Narbir Singh.

Earlier, union minister Manohar Lal had directed for a plan to transport water to Palwal to curb waterlogging in Delhi and Gurugram.