Gurugram waterlogging can’t be fixed via piecemeal solutions: Rao Inderjit Singh

The Union minister suggested mapping natural drains and building underground tunnels along water paths to divert stormwater towards the Najafgarh drain.

Calling recurrent flooding in Gurugram a “perennial problem” that “cannot be resolved through piecemeal solutions”, Gurugram MP and Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh on Wednesday sought accountability from officials over repeated failures to prevent waterlogging.

MP Rao Inderjit Singh said past development altered natural stormwater flows and called for clearing encroachments, protecting water bodies and improving rainwater harvesting. (HT Archive)

His remarks came after the Millennium City was once again hit by widespread waterlogging, with key roads, including Rajiv Chowk, Subhash Chowk, NH-48, Narsingpur, Golf Course Extension Road, MG Road, IFFCO Chowk, Vatika Chowk and Sheetla Mata Road, inundated. Several underpasses also had to be closed to traffic after being flooded.

To be sure, nearly every strong spell of rainfall in recent years has led to similar results, with major areas of Gurugram going under water.

Singh made the remarks after meeting Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini in Chandigarh to discuss waterlogging and the waste management crisis aggravated by a sanitation workers’ strike. The meeting came two days after heavy waterlogging following an hour of rain brought traffic to a standstill across Gurugram, with schoolchildren stranded for hours at Subash Chowk. Residents have criticised authorities and public representatives over repeated monsoon failures.

“Waterlogging in Gurugram has become a perennial problem, which cannot be resolved through piecemeal solutions. The natural drains, ponds and wetlands in the city have been converted into real estate after licences were issued to developers. These structures cannot be removed, and new solutions need to be found to divert water from the urban areas to the Najafgarh drain,” Singh, the Haryana minister of planning, said.

He said he also raised the issue of fixing responsibility for officials who had repeatedly assured during pre-monsoon meetings that there would be no waterlogging. “There is a need to seek answers from officials and agencies, who have failed to deliver results,” he said.

Singh said he suggested surveys of natural drains and water paths, followed by the construction of underground tunnels along their natural contours, similar to Metro tunnels, to divert water to the Najafgarh drain and other water-retaining areas.

“The licences granted by previous regimes have altered the natural flow of stormwater, but this cannot be changed now. However, there is an urgent need to remove encroachments from the water bodies and other green areas, as this would help in retaining water,” the ex-Congress minister said.

He also raised concerns over falling groundwater levels and called for a comprehensive rainwater harvesting plan. “I was assured by the chief minister that a series of steps will be taken to resolve these issues,” he said.

Singh also flagged garbage accumulation during the sanitation workers’ strike, saying rain was causing the waste to rot. “There is an urgent need to resolve this,” he said.

Meanwhile, Congress MP and senior leader Deepinder Singh Hooda criticised the state government over Gurugram’s development. “As soon as there’s a little rain in Millennium City, it turns into Marine City. Buses and cars floating in water, people stuck in jams for hours—these are testimonies that all three engines of the BJP in Gurugram have failed,” Hooda wrote on X.