Blocked drains the main reason for flooding during rainy season: MCG committee

A committee formed by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to find solutions to frequent waterlogging in the city has found that drain blockages are often

A committee formed by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to find solutions to frequent waterlogging in the city has found that drain blockages are often the reason for flooding during the rainy season, a release issued by the civic body on Saturday stated.

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A committee comprising MCG officials, councillors, and retired government engineers was formed after severe waterlogging in the city in August which left seven underpasses, low-lying houses, and most of the major stretches of the city inundated.

A meeting of the committee was held at the MCG’s office in Sector 34 on Saturday. “The main objective of the formation of the committee was to identify flood-prone areas and prepare a plan for a permanent solution. As a part of this exercise, suggestions have been taken from the citizens of Gurugram, RWA officials, individual experts related to the drainage work. Common suggestions included constructing new rainwater harvesting systems and building drainage lines in places that lacked such facilities,” said Jaspreet Kaur, additional commissioner, MCG.

RC Taneja, retired chief engineer, Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), and a senior MCG official, attributed the waterlogging in the city to blocked drains.

Another senior MCG official, who attended the meeting, said,“Experts are of the opinion that a thorough study should be carried out on the ground for preparing a citywide drainage plan. It was also suggested in the meeting that knowledge of groundwater level is very important before installing rainwater harvesting systems and adequate study also needed to be conducted in this regard. Experts also suggested connecting all drains in the city to one other,” said a senior MCG official, who attended the meeting.

Further, a decision was also taken for building more ponds in the city to act as a storage area for rainwater. In this regard, MCG chief engineer Raman Sharma, said that the civic body is looking at developing ponds next to sewerage treatment plants (STPs) to ensure maximum storage of water.

As per MCG officials, Kaur directed Sharma to discuss key points discussed in the meeting with experts in greater detail and told all executive engineers to start preparing estimates based on the suggestions received in the meeting.

The MCG committee also decided to conduct a meeting, with the drainage committee of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) to optimise resources and to find lasting solutions for the issue of waterlogging in the city, said officials.