Heavy rain washes away Gurugram’s monsoon preparedness claims

The rain started around 2.30am on Monday and continued with varying intensities till 5pm. By 7am, the district administration officials shared alerts on social media groups cautioning citizens that the city’s main stormwater drain, the Badshahpur drain, which carries nearly 70% of Gurugram’s rainwater, was overfilled

Around 40mm of rain, from 8am to 5pm on Monday, left the city waterlogged to such an extent that four underpasses were shut, arterial roads rendered unusable, several residences and offices flooded, and traffic flow majorly disrupted.

People navigate a stretch of the NH-48 in Narsinghpur on Monday morning. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

This was only the second heavy spell of rain this monsoon in the city and it has already exposed the chinks in the monsoon preparedness measures, and washed away claims of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) that steps were in place to prevent waterlogging.

The city received 185mm of rainfall from 8.30am on Sunday to 5.30pm on Monday, according to the meteorological department.

In several residential colonies, neighbours were cut off from one another, while on major roads, at Subhash Chowk and Rajiv Chowk especially, pedestrians held hands to navigate the waist-deep rainwater. Many parents were also spotted carrying children on their shoulders to school.

Residents took to social media to highlight the water logging, with a post comparing Sohna Road — the city’s second most congested stretch after Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway — to a swimming pool. That post was widely shared by evening.

In Malibu Towne, Suncity and condominiums on MG Road, in DLF Phases 1 and 3, as well as the government office of the department of town and country planning (DTCP) in Sector 14, flooding at the main entry and exit points trapped people on the premises.

The rain started around 2.30am on Monday and continued with varying intensities till 5pm. By 7am, the district administration officials shared alerts on social media groups cautioning citizens that the city’s main stormwater drain, the Badshahpur drain, which carries nearly 70% of Gurugram’s rainwater, was up to its brim.

“Badshahpur drain (running) at full capacity. Till its level comes down there will be waterlogging as it is the (main) source for drainage of water. Let’s hope rain intensity weakens or stops,” the alert shared by deputy commissioner Yash Garg said.

With Badshahpur drain overflowing by 9.30am, most city roads were inundated and Gurugram traffic police officials issued regular updates on social media to caution road users. The inundated stretches included Suncity Township, Iffco Chowk, Naharpur, Hero Honda Chowk, Medanta underpass, Signature Towers, Iffco Chowk underpass, Galleria Market road, Kanhai Chowk, Wazirabad Chowk, Huda City Centre, Sector 4/7/9 Chowk, Himgiri Chowk, near the Mini Secretariat and Basai Road.

By the afternoon, Sheetla Mata Road, Bilaspur Chowk, Subhash Chowk, Narsinghpur and MDI Chowk were also added to the list. Meanwhile, a portion of the roof of Ambience Mall near the Sirhaul toll collapsed and a part of an arterial road in Sector 65 also caved in.

According to a release issued by the district administration on Monday evening, 113 pump sets, 32 tankers, and 14 earthmovers were deployed at 113 critical water logging points in the city and over 127 complaints were received from residents at the administration’s control room.

Garg, in a release, said of the 113 critical places identified by the administration, Hero Honda Chowk, sectors 4, 7, 9, 9A, 10, 10A and 15, and Palam Vihar were the worst affected as they are located on an incline. The release said rainwater is being pumped out from these areas.

At the two underpasses at Iffco Chowk and one at Rajiv Chowk, traffic police barricaded the entry points to keep motorists away, while at the Hero Honda Chowk underpass, they stacked sandbags to prevent commuters from entering, as all four were severely inundated.

In the aftermath of a 196mm spell of rainfall on August 19 and 20 last year — which left seven underpasses, major roads and low-lying houses flooded — the MCG and GMDA jointly prepared a drainage plan for the city, to ensure that the situation does not repeat.

After visiting several major waterlogging points, MCG commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja on June 24 said that the city is prepared for the upcoming monsoon.

“The main reason behind the city’s waterlogging was due to the overflowing of the Badshahpur drain. With the drain running at full capacity for most of the day, there was no outlet for rainwater to recede. Hence, areas across the city were flooded,” said TL Sharma, chief engineer, MCG.

Sharma said rainwater travels from east to west in Gurugram, with areas in the east, such as Ghata, Golf Course Road, located on the upstream and areas such as sectors 4, 7, 9 and 10, Laxman Vihar and Sheetla Mata Road located in the downstream.

“More than 60% of upstream areas were cleared of rainwater by 6pm. In the downstream, we are anticipating that water will be cleared by midnight, provided there is no more rain. We are deploying extra motor pumps at all the affected areas and dewatering work is ongoing,” said Sharma.

A ward-wise report was also sought from all MCG executive engineers, seeking explanations for water logging, the shortfall in measures and a list of motor pumps available with them, Sharma said.

Pardeep Kumar, chief engineer, GMDA, also said Badshahpur drain being at capacity was one of the main reasons behind Monday’s water logging.

“The Badshahpur drain was overflowing since early morning, there was no outlet for rainwater to recede. Along with high rainfall, this led to severe water logging across the city. Our teams have been working since 7am and operations are still ongoing. By 8pm, except for Laxman Vihar/sector 4 area and a 200-metre portion of Sheetla Mata Road, rainwater was cleared from all major roads,” said Kumar.

GMDA officials said that a Covid-19 care facility at Tau Devi Lal Stadium was also inundated with rainwater. In May, the facility was filled with rainwater following spells of rain, just days after it was inaugurated by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.