Waterlogging on first day of monsoon but situation under control

Gururgam Many key locations in the city witnessed waterlogging as monsoons arrived on Thursday

Gururgam Many key locations in the city witnessed waterlogging as monsoons arrived on Thursday. The situation remained under control as only 12mm of rain was recorded during the day with no intense spells. Civic officials, along with traffic police worked to make pumps operational, manage traffic and clear clogged drains which eased the situation relatively.

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According to traffic police, waterlogging was reported after 7am at Iffco Chowk, Hanuman Chowk near Dundahera, Narsinghpur, Galleria Market, Khandsa, Basai Road, and roads in Sectors 4 and 5. A total of 33mm of rain was received in the last 36 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed.

Dewatering was carried out at Iffco Chowk by 10 am and traffic situation eased in the area thereafter. However, waterlogging was observed throughout the day at Narsinghpur, where service lanes were choked till the evening. Similar issue were reported at Dundahera also.

According to Ravinder Tomar, deputy commissioner (traffic), Gurugram, 1100 traffic personnel were deployed at key junctions and roads to ensure smooth movement of vehicles. “We put out regular updates on waterlogging and congestion through our social media handles and on radio. Teams from the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), and the district administration also worked with us. Our teams helped in clearing blocked drains, towing vehicles, and directing traffic,” he said.

Meanwhile, commuters said that waterlogging slowed down traffic movement on the Old Delhi-Gurugram Road, and at Iffco chowk in the morning. “We faced problems in reaching office in the morning. I hope the situation does not get worse in the coming days,” said Pankaj Kumar, a commuter.

GMDA installs more pumps

According to the GMDA, waterlogging was not observed at perennially critical spots such as Hero Honda Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Sirhaul underpass, Subash Chowk, and Sheetla Mata Road as the authority carried out large scale desilting of drains in the city.

“The service lanes were impacted due to waterlogging at Narsinghpur but the main carriage way was not. We are installing two additional pumps, one each at Khandsa Chowk and Rajiv Chowk,” said Rajesh Bansal, chief engineer, GMDA, infrastructure II.

Bansal also said that DLF deployed its team to check waterlogging at the AIT Chowk metro station. “The authority has carried out desilting of several master drains opposite Mendanta, in Sectors 30 and 31, and on the stretch from Iffco chowk to Subash chowk. We are also looking at other areas prone to waterlogging and will take preventive measures,” he added.

Even as the civic agencies said that adequate measures were adopted, a senior police official said that an increased number of heavier pumps should be installed to check waterlogging in the coming days. “The rain was intermittent on Thursday but in case intense spells , the city is bound to witness waterlogging, especially in new areas,” he said.

Residents of Sectors 4, 5 and 6, which are located at the lower end of Sheetla Mata road, also complained of heavy waterlogging. Dinesh Vashisht, president, Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA), Sectors 3,5,6 said that despite assurances by authorities, their sectors witnessed severe waterlogging, particularly in internal roads. “Most of the internal sector roads were waterlogged on Thursday despite the fact there was no heavy rain. One can imagine what will happen if there are intense spells of rain in the city,” he said.