38 areas in Gurugram prone to flooding in rain: MCG

Gurugram: According to a survey by Municipal Corporation of Gururgam (MCG), 38 areas are sensitive in the city, which are prone to flooding when it rains. These 38 areas include main junctions or stretches like Hero Honda Chowk, IFFCO chowk, Sohna road and Narsinghpur, among others. Laxity in the administration's approach towards managing rainwater and apparent disregard towards the city's topology in urban planning, which led to vanishing of water reservoirs and wetlands over the years, has made waterlogging a perennial problem in the city, according to experts.

The much-needed resources that could have been harnessed this monsoon has been again been wasted not only due to poor drainage system but also depleting bundhs. Most of the bunds that have now become extinct were set up during the British times. The ones that are surviving continue to remain in a neglected state. In over 460 ponds spread across Gurugram district, 208 have dried up, 186 are dirty where water cannot be utilised.

After the 2016 fiasco where 55 millimetres rain had caused a traffic jam of more than 18 hours on Delhi-Jaipur Highway, the Haryana government initiated a series of steps to prevent such fiasco in the future. Besides expediting the construction of underpasses and flyovers at various intersections of NH-8, there were also plans to extend the Badhapur drain, which as per the officials have been completed.

Even as there has been ban by the court to dig illegal bore wells, there are over 15,000 illegal bore wells that have been dug up in the city. In most of the areas in the city, the groundwater has fallen to levels of 50 metres. The challenge towards the renewal of falling groundwater reserves in the city can be gauged from the fact that over 180 out of 300 water harvesting pits under the Gurugram civic body is defunct.

The figures came from the survey that was sanctioned by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG).