Gurugram, Jul 28 (PTI) - A brief spell of heavy rain in Gurugram on Tuesday afternoon has once again exposed the city’s monsoon preparedness, or lack thereof. The 35-mm rainfall in just 40 minutes led to waterlogging in over 50 areas across the city, calling into question the efficacy of measures taken by the authorities.
The Municipal Corporation, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), and other concerned departments had claimed to have made adequate preparations to prevent waterlogging. However, the reality on the ground told a different story, with accumulated water causing massive traffic jams in several areas.
The worst-affected areas included Hero Honda Chowk and Umang Bhardwaj Chowk, where water levels rose to nearly one-and-a-half feet, and Chauma Road in Rajendra Park, where water levels reached nearly two feet. Residents in numerous areas, including New Palam Vihar, New Colony, and several sectors, faced difficulties as water entered many shops and homes.
The heavy rain also caused disruptions to traffic, with school buses and vans stuck in jams for hours. Despite the purported drainage improvements, cleaning, silt removal, and other arrangements in place, residents in most parts of the city had to grapple with waterlogging and traffic jams.
However, the impact of the work undertaken by the GMDA was visible at some locations, where water accumulated on the service lane of the Delhi-Jaipur highway was quickly drained through pipelines. In the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR), AIT Chowk, and Narsinghpur areas, prior work such as cleaning drains and removing debris prevented water from stagnating for long.
The Gurugram traffic police claimed to have ensured smooth traffic flow across the city despite the heavy rainfall, through prompt and effective traffic management. According to a spokesperson, traffic police officers and personnel were deployed at major intersections and waterlogging-prone locations to ensure safe and uninterrupted movement of traffic.
