Monsoon prep: GMDA constructs breakers at underpasses to prevent flooding

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) constructed speed breakers at entry and exit points of all underpasses in the city to control the flow of water and avoid flooding during monsoon, officials said on Thursday

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) constructed speed breakers at entry and exit points of all underpasses in the city to control the flow of water and avoid flooding during monsoon, officials said on Thursday.

A view of the Rajiv Chowk underpass during last monsoon. (HT Archive)

Pradeep Kumar, the chief engineer for infrastructure-II division of GMDA, said, “When there is excessive rainfall, a sheet of water flows on the road and enters the underpasses, affecting the movement of traffic. In areas such as Mehrauli Road, water that gets accumulated on the roof of the malls and shops also flows onto the roads, which leads to flooding. To control this, foot-high speed breakers have been constructed at the entry and exit points of all underpasses in the city which will control the flow of water.”

Last year in August, when the city received 118mm of rainfall in about six hours, at least seven of the city’s 11 underpasses were heavily flooded. Most of the underpasses were shut for hours for commuters. Three underpasses on Golf Course Road (at DLF Phase 1, Genpact Chowk and Bristol Chowk), two in Cyber City next to Shankar Chowk, and two others at Iffco Chowk and Rajiv Chowk on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway were submerged in rainwater and had to be closed for commuters at various points.

Even in 2019, the underpasses at Iffco Chowk and Rajiv Chowk on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway had to be shut for commuters due to flooding during the monsoon.

Meanwhile, officials also said that check dams have made in Aravallis to arrest stormwater in the forest.

“We have made diversions near Golf Course Road to ensure that stormwater flows into the forest areas of Aravallis and waterlogging can be controlled on roads. This will help in groundwater recharge, along with ensuring availability of water for fauna in the region,” said a GMDA official.