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Gurugram residents suffer losses from rainwater damage

Residents of Sectors 4 and 5 fear a flood-like situation to develop in their area if rains continue. They alleged the authorities have not done enough in the last few years to control this situation

Updated on: Sep 23, 2022, 23:37:22 IST
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Accumulated rainwater entered many houses and basements of buildings on Friday following two days of rainfall in the city. Areas such as DLF Phase 1, Sushant Lok-1, Old Gurugram, and Sectors 4, 5, 7, 14, 46, and 56 were among the worst affected as lanes submerged, forcing several residents to shift to the upper floors of their houses and buildings.

Many residents were seen placing sandbags and putting brick barricades outside their homes to prevent rainwater from entering. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)
Many residents were seen placing sandbags and putting brick barricades outside their homes to prevent rainwater from entering. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Many of them were also seen placing sandbags and putting brick barricades outside their homes to prevent rainwater from entering. “All the furniture we purchased during my wedding was damaged as water entered our house on Thursday. The same thing happened on Friday morning,” Parmesh Singh, a resident of Sector 22, said.

Residents of Sectors 4 and 5 fear a flood-like situation to develop in their area if rains continue. They alleged the authorities have not done enough in the last few years to control this situation.

Dinesh Vashisht , president, Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA), Sectors 3, 5 and 6, said, “Rainwater entering houses is a recurrent and persistent issue which damages furniture and electronic goods.” According to him, the RWA has written to civic agencies many times in the last three years but nothing has been done to resolve waterlogging issues in the area. “We keep standing outside our house, be it day or night, to prevent rainwater from entering by using motors and buckets. It is the same ordeal every year,” SK Aneja, a resident of Sector 3, added.

Narender Singh, a resident of Sector 5, alleged that his family suffered huge losses in the last two years due to rainwater damage. “Water seeped into our drawing room and bedrooms on Friday. We woke up to discover all our carpets and furniture drenched. We have been forced to rent an additional second-floor apartment to shift our belongings to during monsoons. Our gadgets got spoiled for two consecutive years after water seeped in. The drains have not been cleaned and are choked leading to waterlogging,” he said.

According to Nishant Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner, Gurugram, drains were cleaned before the monsoon this year. “We will ensure the problem is resolved at the earliest. We will send teams to the areas to inspect the issues,” he said.

  • Leena Dhankhar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Leena Dhankhar

    Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More