Ahead of monsoon, measures reviewed to address waterlogging in Gurugram

Gurugram, June 24

With the monsoon fast approaching, the Gurugram civic authorities are gearing up to deal with annual waterlogging. A Sreenivas, Chief Executive Officer of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), convened a coordination meeting on Monday to discuss flood preparedness measures.

Flood-control office to be operational from July 1

• The flood-control office will be operational from July 1
• Citizens can submit their waterlogging-related grievances on helpline numbers 1800-180-1817 and 0124-4753555
• The GMDA CEO issued instructions to ensure the provision of additional backup pumps, JCBs, DG sets and other necessary machinery, along with manpower, in hotspot areas
• A total of 23 pumps are also being installed at key hotspots

The GMDA CEO said, “Coordinated planning and efforts are being undertaken by all departments to strengthen flood management efforts.”

“Instructions for undertaking remedial measures at critical locations have been issued to the respective local bodies to minimise inconvenience and enhance public safety. Several works, including the desilting of drains, installation of pumping machinery and construction of missing drainage links, are already in progress,” he added.

GMDA officers reported that a dedicated flood control office had been set up to deploy pumping machinery and manpower at critical locations, monitoring the on-ground situation during peak monsoon season in coordination with the Gurugram MC, NHAI, Traffic Police and other line departments.

The flood-control office will be operational from July 1, and a total of 23 pumps are being installed at key hotspots. To ensure that no waterlogging occurs in underpasses during heavy rainfall, mock drills of the pumping machinery installed in 16 underpasses in the city have been carried out successfully by the GMDA.

The non-functional pumps detected during the mock drills at IFFCO Chowk Underpass and Rajiv Chowk Underpass have been repaired by the NHAI.

On Golf Course Road, the strengthening of check dams in the Aravallis has been carried out by the GMDA and the DLF teams. In the low-lying area of Narsinghpur, five pumps have been installed by the GMDA and the NHAI each to dewater the area during heavy rain. The issue of rampant waste dumping in the stormwater drains along the NH was also discussed.

NHAI officials reported that the cleaning of culverts pertaining to master drains Leg 1 and Leg 2 of GMDA under NH-48 has been completed. Additionally, desilting of surface drains around Rajiv Chowk and drains along NH-48 is also underway.

For enhanced safety, the underpasses and subways for pedestrians and non-motorised transport (NMT) will be closed during the monsoon season.