Gurgaon: MCG sets up control room to coordinate flood-check effort

MCG commissioner V Umashankar said the move would ensure better coordination among multiple agencies to tackle waterlogging this monsoon

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has set up a control room at its office in Sector 34 to coordinate efforts to combat waterlogging during monsoon.

Pre-monsoon showers left the busy Hero Honda Chowk inundated on June 19. (Sanjeev Verma/HT FILE PHOTO)

Oon revceiving information about waterlogging, officials will be able to direct engineers to the spot and minimise chaos caused by waterlogging.

MCG Commissioner V Umashankar said the decision to set up a control room was taken to improve coordination among various civic agencies.

He highlighted the issue of July 28, 2016, when excessive waterlogging at Hero Honda Chowk grounded traffic on the busy Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway for over 48 hours.

“Last year, the service drain at the junction had overflowed and drain water started flowing towards the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway. Although there was a motor pump, installed by the NHAI (National Highways Authority of India), at the spot, it was not put to use as the operator was missing. By the time the NHAI was alerted and pumps were operated, the damage had already been done. Hence, to ensure better coordination among civic agencies, fire brigade and the police and avoid a repeat of what happened last year, the control room has been set up to monitor waterlogged areas and send out timely alerts to agecies concerned,” Umashankar said.

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He added that control room officials will get regular updates from MCG’s drones that help in mapping out clogged drains and waterlogged areas and will pass on the information to the officials concerned.

The MCG commissioner also said that the control room will have a hotline to reach all motor pump operators in the city and alert them to switch on the motors as soon as there are reports of waterlogging.

Last year, too, a control room had been set up at the MCG office on August 4 following the July 28 crisis.

People can report waterlogging on MCG’s helpline number 1800-180-1817.