When rain had its fill of Gurgaon again

The area where I live in Gurgaon was carved out as a defence sector in 1978 under the patronage of the visionary Chief Minister, the late Bansi Lal. At that time, Gurgaon had a reputation of being simply a gaon. Though in close vicinage of the national capital, it was poorly connected by two single-lane roads that meandered through villages. The applicants basically comprised junior defence ranks. That there was no rush on demand can be gauged from the fact that five members of our own military family had applied and all were allotted plots.

Even when I was constructing my house in 2002, much after the Delhi-Jaipur highway had come up, the sales agents could be seen sitting in roadside kiosks hawking their residential properties. The weather was hot and dry. Gurgaon was actually considered the threshold of desert that extends west towards Rajasthan. Water shortage was a perpetual problem. In summer months, we had to often purchase water through tanker supply. Little wonder that the Haryana Urban Development Authority did not include drainage in its planning. Following natural slopes, the rain water flowed freely over open roads.

The average rainfall may still be deficit, but the rain, when it comes, does so with full fury. It rained the entire day on September 23. The real downpour was a day earlier. According to district administration data, Gurgaon received 55 mm of rainfall in 12 hours, though it had received just over 25 mm till September 22.

The north-south Jaipur national highway divides Gurgaon into two. We, on the west, live in Old Gurgaon. The multinationals have mushroomed in New Gurgaon, where the skyline is dotted with high-rise buildings. The rain made no distinction between old and new. The unexpectedly heavy downpour left practically every road clogged. All around, one could see snarling lines of vehicles. Commuters were stranded at various prominent places. Even the highly sought-after pincode area of Golf Course Road was not spared.

I had to drop off a family member at Palam airport. Though still raining, traffic was smooth both ways. While returning, as I was turning left to take the U-turn to an underpass near Signature Tower, the road-bend seemed like a deep pool. While my driver hesitated, a taxi — also an Innova — hugged the right berm and crawled through. This waterlogged patch is certainly a design fault.

Waterlogging also took place in several areas and pumps had to be deployed. Pumps are an emergency measure. They cannot be a substitute for poor or faulty drains. Luckily, all underpasses remained free of waterlogging, a distinct improvement over the previous years. The semi-circular design of the overhead canopy makes rainwater fall outside.

The police remained busy, struggling to keep the traffic moving and in assisting recovery of stranded vehicles. While their efforts were not lacking, and deserve accolades, their success in restoring order on the roads was only partial.

Rain havoc is not new to Gurgaon. It happens practically every monsoon. The authorities are certainly learning from experience but the impatient tax-paying public have scant regard for efforts; they want results. Faulty design is one aspect, quality of works is another. In the case of Suncity, for example, a newly constructed drain was reportedly damaged after the very first spell of rain.

In the end, the hapless city administration was left with no choice but to advise residents to stay indoors. All educational establishments were closed on Friday, corporate offices and private institutions were advised to allow work from home. The repair work on stretches would of course lead to closure of certain roads and only add to the public woes. Considering that vastly improved technology and construction material is available, frequent rain damage to roads is both surprising and disappointing.

The Millennium City is and will remain an important investment destination. It mirrors an emerging India. With the changes in global climate, such rain havocs can only be foreseen. The authorities need to tackle the problem proactively and on a long-term futuristic basis. Infrastructure development cannot be left simply to the ‘lowest bidder’.