Three hours of rain leaves Gurugram in mayhem

Despite multiple agencies sanctioning nearly Rs 100 crore over four years and over 50 review meetings, Gurugram’s stormwater drains have not been cleaned since 2023. As a result, an intense spell of rain left large parts of the city waterlogged on Friday.

An early morning thunderstorm brought around 200 mm of rainfall in three hours, overwhelming city infrastructure and exposing civic bodies’ claims of monsoon preparedness. Residents woke up to flooded streets and waterlogged residential areas. Reports indicate that clogged or encroached stormwater drains were primarily to blame.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) received complaints from nearly 100 locations, most of which involved blocked drains. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) alleged that despite a cleaning drive being ordered after severe waterlogging in 2023, the initiative was suspended and never resumed.

“In Sector 52 and other areas, we have no stormwater drains, and wherever there are, most are never cleaned. There has been no cleaning activity for two years and that has caused havoc across the city. The streets and roads were all waterlogged and water even entered homes in many areas. It’s sad that while they hold meetings all year, they remember drain cleaning only in the monsoon. We are scared—if one day of rain has done this, what will the entire monsoon do to us?” said Praveen Yadav, president of the United Gurugram RWAs.

The Gurugram MC, the Municipal Corporation of Manesar (MCM) and GMDA have collectively approved over Rs 100 crore for stormwater drain cleaning and restoration in the last four years. Although tenders have been floated several times, the situation has seen little improvement.

In 2023, then MCG Commissioner PC Meena launched a large-scale stormwater restoration drive, which was abandoned within days. Last month, Badshahpur MLA and state minister Rao Narbir convened a high-level meeting with Gurugram officials to assess monsoon preparedness.

“The rain is an eye-opener. We have directed the civic agencies to review what is lacking and given them a month to set things right. There will be no waterlogging in the monsoon and if officials fail to discharge their duties, they will be penalised,” said Rao Narbir.

Haryana Tribune