Potholed roads leave Gurugram vulnerable to flooding, accidents

Tough the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has repaired roads in the run-up to the monsoon, which is expected to hit the city next week, many stretches of the city are still riddled with potholes.

The road infrastructure is known to deteriorate due to frequent rain during the monsoon, causing potholes to widen, which invariably causes waterlogging and accidents. As per a survey by the traffic and highway department, Gurugram has the least safe roads in the state, with potholes being a major problem.

Experts said the roads, as well as the stormwater drains, are in a bad shape, and accumulated water on the road reduces the binding force of the bituminous road.

“Whenever vehicles pass over the accumulated water on the road, potholes are created, which increase in size as vehicles pass over it,” said Dr Sewa Ram, professor of transport planning, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.

“Newly built cement concrete roads, such as the Old Delhi Gurugram Road, Sheetla Mata Road and the road connecting Palam Vihar and Sector 5 also do not have a clear and continuous drain line, which causes water accumulation and hence, potholes,” he added.

As per the Haryana Vision Zero report, more than 1,200 accidents have taken place due to faulty road infrastructure in the last three years.

“The situation of Gurugram roads is the worst for pedestrians, bikers and other vehicle owners, as potholes form a major safety hazard and make them susceptible to accidents,” said Sarika Panda Bhatt, head, urban transport and road safety, WRI India.

ND Vashisht, the chief engineer of MCG, said, “Most potholes have been mended and 90% of the roads across the city have been fixed.”

As the road which connects New Delhi and Gurugram, MG Road is one of the most prominent roads of Gurugram, but it is not devoid of problems. There are potholes at several places, the worst in front of Sahara Mall and Essel Towers, and there is also an issue with the drainage system, as work is currently ongoing in the open sewers along the road, which further aggravates the issue.

Certain low-lying areas on MG Road, such as the entrance to Essel Towers, are susceptible to rainwater accumulation, which flows down the road.

“Water accumulates up to a height of four-five feet at the entrance during the monsoon, as the drainage system is blocked,” Shashi Dharan, board manager of the Essel Towers RWA, said.

Given the volume of traffic on MG Road, potholes in these areas make the road susceptible to accidents, and as the conditions of potholes are set to worsen in the monsoon, it may prove problematic to those who use the road frequently.

Residents said the MCG has been notified several times about the problem and has even been suggested that the overflow from MG Road be used for rainwater harvesting, but to no avail.

“We also want someone to manage the by-lane as it gets messy, especially during monsoon, and as the IFFCO underpass is blocked, the monsoon is going to be very bad in this area. Accidents will take place frequently if the road is not fixed before the monsoon,” said Dharan.

Despite undergoing a transformation over the last year, with several underpasses opening their lanes to commuters, one problem has continued to persist on the Gold Course Road – the deplorable condition of Countryside Avenue, an arterial road near Genpact chowk, which, being at a higher altitude, has led to waterlogging at the junction several times in the past.

Even as the monsoon is fast approaching, the road remains riddled with potholes and is broken in patches, indicating that the threat of the stretch getting waterlogged, with the run-off water settling at the Genpact Chowk junction, still persists.

An underpass constructed at the junction and opened to commuters earlier this year. This may offer an opportunity of reducing the number of commuters affected by waterlogging, by allowing them to bypass the stretch. However, this cannot be guaranteed as the underpass has been closed repeatedly for work – it has already been closed twice this year, as a result of which commuters have had to use the main road.

“While the underpass has helped commuters bypass the stretch, those using the Sector 53/54 Metro station will be affected as potholes come up on the stretch due to waterlogging,” Mihir Kohli, a resident of DLF-5, said.

Even as residents anticipate issues, officials refused to take responsibility for the task. An official of the Haryana Urban Development Authority, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the entire Golf Course Road is in the process of being transferred to the GMDA, as a result of which several projects, including repair of certain stretches, are in a limbo.

Golf Course Extension Road, despite being extremely functional in most areas, is still affected by the pothole problem. The worst affected patch is the area surrounding Suncity, where water accumulates at the entrance as it flows from the hilly areas in the vicinity. This worsens the situation for residents, as they are unaware of the potholes, because of which they trip and injure themselves.

“Nothing is being done to fix the road ahead of monsoon. We have complained at the CM window often. Both the internal and external roads at Suncity are bad and only the road around the Suncity School is fine,” VMK Singh, general secretary of the Suncity RWA said.

Potholes on Golf Course Extension have become a perennial problem, exposing vehicles to risks.

Residents said the water accumulates up to five feet at the entrance of Suncity, from the gate till the ICICI Bank. “The drainage is also blocked inside Suncity,” said Singh. This adds to woes of the residents, as they will not be able to carry out their daily tasks during heavy rains because of the impending water accumulation.

With numerous offices, residential estates and shopping malls in the area, Sohna Road is another prominent road in Gurugram. However, it is still riddled with potholes and waterlogging is a major problem there.

Outside Uniworld Garden 1, there is a large pothole on the service road, which causes inconvenience to motorists. “Sohna Road is not prepared at all for the coming monsoon. We have complained to the MCG commissioner a lot but nothing has happened,” said Siddarth Prakash, estate office head, Uniworld Garden 1 RWA.

There is a high footfall of vehicles on Sohna Road and accidents could take place on the main carriageway and the service road if the potholes are not fixed, said residents.

Long jams are also frequent in the area during monsoon, said residents, due to the ‘humungous potholes and waterlogging due to the incomplete work on drains. “The drains are not clean; they fill up fast and spew water on the road,” Prakash said.

Hero Honda Chowk flyover is integral to Gurugram as it connects Jaipur and Delhi and forms a part of the expressway.

However, it is riddled with potholes and infrastructural problems, the most prominent being a 15cm deep, 250 cm wide hole in the middle of the flyover’s carriageway, due to which three lanes of the flyover had to be closed for a week.

A team from IIT Bombay is currently undertaking repair work and running a few tests on the road to improve its functioning.

“The repair work at the carriageway on Hero Honda flyover has been carried out as per IIT Bombay recommendations and it is satisfactory. However, the spot is being monitored to ensure there is no scope of any error, as monsoon is coming and this road is of a huge significance,” Ashok Sharma, NHAI project director, said.