Overnight heavy rainfall leads to waterlogging in Gurugram, subways closed

The impact of the heavy rainfall led to vehicles breaking down while commuters and pedestrians had to wade through knee-deep water on Sohna Road, Subhash Chowk, Udyog Vihar, Golf Course Extension Road, Narsingpur, Sector 10A and Sector 48 areas

Heavy rains lashed Gurugram on Saturday and Sunday, resulting in waterlogging across the city in low-lying areas as well as national highways. The situation was even worse on Sunday due to the overnight rainfall, that led to waterlogging on the Gurugram-Delhi Expressway. According to data from the district administration, Gurugram received 71 mm rainfall till 8am on Sunday.

According to data from the district administration, Gurugram received 71 mm rainfall till 8am on Sunday (File Photo)

Waterlogging was witnessed in low-lying houses in DLF phases 1 and 3, Sector 4, 5, Palam Vihar, Sector 22, Sector 10A, Sector 9, Sector 48 and Suncity Township on Sunday morning.

The impact of the heavy rainfall led to vehicles breaking down while commuters and pedestrians had to wade through knee-deep water on Sohna Road, Subhash Chowk, Udyog Vihar, Golf Course Extension Road, Narsingpur, Sector 10A and Sector 48 areas.

Owing to the downpour, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has closed all underpasses and subways for non-motorised transport (NMT), and pedestrians for public use till the rains last, officials familiar with the matter said.

Residents were forced to stay indoors and reschedule their Sunday plans due to inaccessible roads.

Commuters travelling on Delhi-Gurugram Expressway faced a tough time crossing the stretch from Narsingpur as the main carriageway and service lanes were submerged in water. The situation was equally bad at Subash Chowk, Sohna Road, Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) Road, Udyog Vihar, Rajiv Chowk, Hero Honda Chowk, CH Bakhtawar Singh Road, Jharsa Chowk, Bakhtawar Chowk the worst-affected.

The Narsinghpur-Khandsa stretch, opposite the Badshahpur drain, was heavily inundated with rainwater. Amidst 71 mm rainfall on Sunday, the Rajiv Chowk underpass near Medanta Hospital was shut due to the accumulation of water inside it.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued a ‘yellow’ alert for Delhi-NCR today and warned of heavy rainfall in several parts of the region.

Gurugram deputy commissioner (DC) Nishant Kumar Yadav said that he has received complaints of waterlogging from across the city and he has called the civic agencies team to visit the affected spots along with him to take stock of the situation. “We are trying to remove access water using pumps from all the spots and have closed the subways and underpasses for the safety of commuters. Extra manpower has been deployed on the stretches to ensure commuters do not face any inconvenience,” he said.

Yadav said cranes and police vans are stationed at key stretches and police, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) teams are on the spots to divert traffic. “Residents are advised to avoid potholed roads for their safety and to avoid any mishaps,” he said.

At least 10 teams of the GMDA and the MCG were also deployed with the necessary machinery for counter-waterlogging measures. GMDA officials said that they are keeping a real-time watch on the situation and their teams have been asked to immediately respond to any exigency.

“Men and machinery have been deployed to clear water from roads. We are using pumps at Narsinghpur, Subash Chowk and other areas to ensure the stretches are clear.,” Vikram Singh, executive engineer of GMDA said.

Chaitali Mandhotra, Ardee City RWA member said blamed the builders and city administration for waterlogging.

“For the last 20 years, builders never did the desilting of drains. After one full year of the MCG takeover and lots of hope, we are still in the same situation. Red tapism in MCG delays even urgent issues. We are being told that the process for tender for the desilting is on. Two rainy seasons gone under MCG and the wait is also on leading to waterlogged roads,” she said.

Residents alleged that the clogged stormwater drainage system in the city caused waterlogging which resulted in traffic congestion. Many took to social media to share photos and videos of waterlogged roads as well as express their frustration against the administration.

“Most of the stormwater lines got clogged with garbage and plastics that were lying roadside and were not cleaned by the civic agencies. There is no single stretch in the city that was not waterlogged and people woke up to find water entered their houses,” said Baljeet Singh Rathee, president of DLF Qutub Enclave Residents Welfare Association (QERWA).

Puneet Pahwa, general secretary of Sector 45 RWA, said that the waterlogging situation in Sector 45 is very bad. “Sector possession was given in 1997 and still there are many locations where there are no stormwater drains, leading to severe waterlogging. We keep requesting civic officials but unfortunately, it takes months for MCG staff to make an estimate and then act on it. The situation has become worse in the last year and we need immediate intervention so that residents can at least use entry and exit safely during monsoons,” he said.

Yogita Katarya, a resident of Sector 4, said that the water had entered the houses in the area as no desilting has been done in the sector despite repeated complaints. “The sector is flooded with water and more than 50 houses suffered damage to their property after water entered their bedrooms and living area. There is knee-deep water and people cannot move out of the house unless pumps are used to clear the colony,” she said.

Two-wheeler riders and cyclists were unable to spot potholes and several of them lost their balance and fell into the murky water on Golf Course Extension Road, Sector 69, Sector 5, Basai Road and Narsingpur.

Virender Vij, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) said, while heavy congestion was not witnessed as vehicular pressure was less owing to the weekend, vehicular movement was slow on internal roads and the expressway.

“Our teams were deployed at all the spots from where snarls are generally reported amid the rain. Towing vehicles and police control room vans were stationed at several vital locations for handling any breakdown or untoward situation. Though no major traffic congestion was reported in the morning, teams are still monitoring all the key stretches. Our teams were also deployed on stretches with potholes to create small diversions so that commuters could pass through safely,” he said.