Haryana govt to consider natural drainage features while developing urban areas

The Haryana government plans to consider natural drainage features and contours in the development plan of urban areas to reduce urban flooding.

The Haryana government has decided to give due consideration to natural drainage features and contours while creating the final development plan of an urban area in order to ensure that instances of urban flooding are reduced, officials aware of the matter said on Monday.

Waterlogging and flooding are a common occurrence across Haryana’s cities — for example, last monsoon, Gurugram, Faridabad, Panchkula, and Ambala all witnessed heavy waterlogging. (HT Archive)

Arun Kumar Gupta, the additional chief secretary of the department of town and country planning (DTCP), in an order issued on December 22, said that “it has been decided henceforth, while preparing development plans, the natural drainage features shall be given due consideration by ensuring contours-based planning, so as to avoid floods in urban areas”.

Waterlogging and flooding are a common occurrence across Haryana’s cities — for example, last monsoon, Gurugram, Faridabad, Panchkula, and Ambala all witnessed heavy waterlogging.

The order further said that DTCP will also seek inputs from the irrigation department to prevent incidents of urban flooding, and that adequate measures will be taken in future to ensure that no waterlogging occurs in areas proposed for urbanisation.

It was also observed that the present mechanism to prevent urban flooding was found inadequate.

Experts, meanwhile, said that contour planning and checking the topography has always been a part of the town planning process, but the focus has been lost at the time of execution. “All these factors are included in town planning but it is at the time of execution that these issues are lost,” said Rajvir Singh, former chief town planner, Haryana.