Rainwater enters Gurugram Civil Hospital again, second time this month

Rainwater entered OPDs, waiting areas and corridors, while ceiling leaks forced patients to stand as doctors continued providing treatment.

Heavy rain on Tuesday once again exposed infrastructure deficiencies at Gurugram Civil Hospital in Sector 10, with water entering multiple outpatient departments (OPDs), the paediatric ward, waiting areas and internal corridors, marking the second such flooding incident at the hospital this month.

Videos showed patients and attendants wading through ankle-deep water, with buckets placed across the building to collect rainwater from leaking roofs. (Sourced)

Gurugram recorded 36 mm of rainfall on Tuesday after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for parts of Haryana. Videos circulating online showed patients and attendants wading through ankle-deep water inside the hospital premises.

Water entered OPDs and waiting halls, while ceiling leaks were reported from several sections on the ground floor. The flooded waiting area became unusable, forcing patients awaiting consultations to stand, even as doctors and healthcare staff continued providing treatment.

“The water in the OPD units of the hospital filled up due to the leakage from the gaps in the flaps placed at the ceiling. It was timely reported to the PWD team, who will take action on it,” said Dr Neeraj Yadav, deputy medical superintendent at Civil Hospital. To be sure, the building was constructed by the PWD, and responsibility for structural repairs and maintenance rests with the department, officials said.

Screengrabs from a video shared with HT showing water dripping from the ceiling of a room at Civil Hospital on Tuesday. (Sourced)

The Civil Hospital, which caters to around 2,500 to 3,000 patients daily, has witnessed similar flooding during previous monsoons. Earlier this month, its basement was inundated, forcing some units to be shifted to the first and second floors. HT had reported on the flooding and a Public Works Department (PWD) inspection on July 11.

The PWD sub-divisional officer (SDO), Vivek Gupta, told HT, “PWD has resolved most issues in the hospital. The basement flooding happened due to sewer water being dumped in an old borewell line. We have disconnected the connection now.”

However, Gupta attributed Tuesday’s incident to a different cause. “The leaking of walls happened because of faulty AC pipelines. Work was done to correct it,” he said.

The waterlogging also disrupted movement between hospital blocks, particularly affecting elderly patients, children and persons with limited mobility. Buckets were placed at several locations to collect rainwater dripping from leaking roofs.