Gurugram residents flag poor drainage, broken roads ahead of monsoon

Civic agencies identified dozens of flooding spots; RWAs warn key stretches across new and old Gurugram remain vulnerable to waterlogging.

As civic bodies begin pre-monsoon preparations, Gurugram residents on Tuesday flagged poor upkeep of several key stretches, citing missing stormwater drainage links, broken roads, and safety risks.

Missing stormwater drains and pending desilting reported across several sectors and major roads as civic bodies continue pre monsoon works. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Affected areas include New Gurugram sectors along the Dwarka Motorway, Bajghera Road; sectors 99A, 110, 112, and 62–65; and the sectors 73–75 intersection on the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR). Problems were also reported in older areas like Mehrauli Road, Palam Vihar, Old Basai Road, Sector 21 and Dhundahera.

Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) officials stated that 40 drainage trouble spots were identified in the district last month, with Khandsa, Basai, Begumpur Khatola and Chakkarpur among the worst affected. A Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) report also flagged 32 locations with missing or broken stormwater drains on the sector 17–18 dividing road, Old Delhi Road, the sector 1–2 dividing road in Palam Vihar and the main road from Sector-4 to Surya Vihar society, which are under the jurisdiction of multiple civic agencies, including the GMDA, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and public works department (PWD).

Residents highlighted persistent flooding. Sandeep Singh, a Sector 66 resident, said pockets in Badshahpur village lack proper drainage. “The stretch from Prajapati Road connecting to the graveyard, along with roads in front of schools, remains filled with knee-deep water during the peak monsoon season. Repeated complaints to civic authorities go unheard,” he said, adding that desilting has not begun and encroachments have appeared on master stormwater drains.

Praveen Thakur of the Habitat Society in Sector 99A said poor drainage cuts off connectivity to the Dwarka Motorway during rains. “Many commuters risk their lives travelling through this patch filled with deep potholes. A large barren land alongside a shabbily maintained green belt is filled with STP water. Residents are forced to travel 8 km via Manesar to reach sectors 62–65 during the rainy season,” he said.

Prakash Lamba, president of Sector 21 RWA, added about two-third of 900m master drain along the Sector 21/22 dividing road has been cleaned and 300m is still pending, which could still cause water flow obstruction and waterlogging during the rainy season. “Another open drain under the MCG’s jurisdiction affecting the stretches from Sector 21 market to Old Delhi Gurugram road needs to be desilted properly and the debris remains have not been properly removed,” Lamba said.

Durgesh Jha of Hero Homes in Sector 104 said the situation at Dhanwapur underpass has improved, however, waterlogging resurfaces after sewage overflow during rains. “An alternate 6-kilometre-long route is taken through sectors 4 and 9 to avoid the underpass. Knee-deep water levels make it difficult to safely pass through this stretch,” he said.

A senior PWD official, responsible for the underpass maintenance, said water proofing work has largely resolved the waterlogging problem in the underpass. “A tender to procure water pumps has been finalised and the underground passage will remain clear of water during this monsoon season,” the senior PWD official said.

Officials said the MCG plans to install 109 modular rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems. A senior MCG official confirmed that work in Sector 15, Civil Lines and Parshuram parks is complete, with tenders for eight more mature and technical evaluations underway in sectors 13, 15, 24 and 31. Over 150 waterlogging points have been identified. Pending sewer repairs will be reviewed in an upcoming sewage management cell meeting.

A GMDA spokesperson said contractors have been penalised for delays. “The work to complete a 5.2km storm water drain, including a 550 m patch to plug a gap between sectors 62-65, is expected to be completed by June. The PWD recently handed over the Bajghera road towards the expressway to the authority. Our teams will examine the drainage layout, alignments and encroachments to plan accordingly. Meanwhile, a tender to construct a stormwater drain from Old Delhi to Atul Kataria Chowk was cancelled after the contractor continued to delay work even with penalties of ₹1.28 crore imposed. Another contractor has been fined ₹5.5 crore for failing to meet timelines in building the stormwater drain on SPR,” the spokesperson said.