Gurugram residents reel under rain as roads get waterlogged again

Residents alleged that persistent blockage in the sewer lines connected to the storm drains led to the waterlogging and the situation will get worse in the monsoon season. They said that even a 15-minute rainfall floods the roads and rainwater enters shops and houses

Residents of at least five residential areas across the city complained of sewage water entering the basements of their houses on Saturday morning after two hours of non-stop rain.

Vehicles wade through a waterlogged stretch in Gurugram on Saturday. (Parveen Kumar/ HT)

Residents alleged that due to blocked drains and sewage lines, the water flowed into their basements, resulting in damage to household goods.

Meanwhile, waterlogging was reported from at least 20 areas, including sectors 5, 10A, 38, 45, 48, 56, 104, Shivaji Nagar, Narsinghpur, Kherki Daula, and Rajiv Chowk, said civic body officials.

Residents alleged that persistent blockage in the sewer lines connected to the storm drains led to the waterlogging and the situation will get worse in the monsoon season. They said that even a 15-minute rainfall floods the roads and rainwater enters shops and houses in sectors 3, 5, 6 and 7.

Rakesh Tanwar, president of Surat Nagar Phase 1 in Sector 104, said that for the last 10 years, the situation has remained the same. “The drains and sewer lines in the area usually remain blocked. We have written to the authorities concerned several times but to no avail. There is an immediate need to desilt the drains to resolve the problem. Some residents have constructed walls in front of their houses to prevent rainwater from entering the basements,” he said.

Kumkum Arora, a resident of Sector 104, said that they shifted in the area in 2019 and since then monsoons have been a nightmare for them.

“On Saturday early morning, water entered my house due to the blockage in drains, which are further connected to the sewer lines. Blockage in these drains persists as some people throw garbage on roadsides, which gets accumulated in the drains. Besides, there is a need to construct more drains. The problem has worsened in the last three years as no official has ever visited our area for an inspection,” Arora said.

A resident of Sector 5 said that Saturday morning’s downpour led to severe waterlogging in the area. “The sector’s drainage system is poor and choked, due to which the lanes were flooded. Rainwater entered our houses,” he said.

Another resident, identified as Dinesh Vashishta, said that despite repeated complaints to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), nothing has been done. The water entered our sectors through the Sheetla Mata Mandir Road and seeped into the basements of at least 20 houses.

“The residents have suffered huge losses as their household items are damaged and moreover their lives are also at risk. Who will be held responsible if anyone is electrocuted? The children are mostly home and use laptops and other gadgets,” Vashishta said.

GMDA chief executive officer PC Meena said tractor mounted pumps and jetting machines were deployed at Rajiv Chowk and other areas to drain the rainwater. “Pumps were also sent to Narsinghpur and Sector 67. The desilting work of drains is also underway,” he said.

Meena said teams were deployed on the ground to monitor the situation and adequate manpower and machinery were available. “Underpasses were inspected and there was no waterlogging”, he added.