Eye on monsoon, NHAI installs 40 pumps on Gurgaon e-way

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has installed 40 pumps across the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway to prevent waterlogging during monsoon, which is likely to reach the city by June 30.

The pumps, which can clear up to 7,200 litres of water every minute, have been strategically placed at the newly built underpasses at Rajiv Chowk, Iffco Chowk, Signature Towers and Hero Honda Chowk. These stretches went under water during monsoon in 2016, triggering a 48-hour-long gridlock in the city.

NHAI carried out a few mock drills over the last one week by using fire engines to first flood the underpasses. “The pumps managed to successfully clear water from the affected area during the drill,” said Ashok Sharma, project director, Delhi -Gurgaon Expressway.

He, however, said that the highways authority would have been even better equipped to deal with any situation had the work expanding the Khandsa drain been completed.

The number of pumps has been increased from 21 last year, as NHAI wants to ensure that the movement of vehicles is not hampered at key intersections. The pumps are automatic and would become functional as soon as the underground sump tanks are filled with rainwater.

The pumps have been installed by contractors who built the underpasses, while the stretch between Hero Honda Chowk and Kherki Daula is being serviced by highway concessionaire, MCEPL, officials said.

At Rajiv Chowk, the authority has deployed five pumps with a capacity of 4000 litres per minute (lpm). Three pumps with a capacity 2800 lpm and another two pumps having a capacity of 230 lpm have been installed on this stretch. At Signature tower, four pumps with capacity of 4000 lpm and 2000 lpm have been installed. At Iffco Chowk 10 pumps with capacity varying from 230 LPM to 4000 LPM have been installed.

At the Hero Honda chowk, a critical intersection, 10 pumps with capacity of 7200 LPM have been installed, Sharma said.

Bracing for the rain

The pumps would go a long way in preventing rainwater from hindering traffic movement

Haryana urban development authority (Huda), which has the job of constructing the drain passing through Khandsa, said that they are installing pipes to ensure water can flow through the additional 10 metre space running through the village. “Work is going on and there would be improvement in the situation this year,” Chander Shekhar Khare, administrator, Huda, said.

Flood control measures are being taken to prevent the repeat of ‘Gurujam’-a gridlock on July 28, 2016 that happened at Hero Honda Chowk and brought the city to a standstill for almost two days due to flooding of the national highway. The waterlogging took place because Badshahpur drain, which cuts across the highway at this point, started flowing backwards as water could not pass through the narrower Khandsa portion.

Sharma said that pump operators have been also appointed and they will man the pumps during operation. “All kinds of material, including diesel and spares, have been procured to meet any kind of emergency,” he added.

An an official of Millennium City Expressway Private Limited (MCEPL), the custodian of the Gurgaon expressway, said, “The smaller pumps are functional and drains have been cleaned to ensure smooth draining of rainwater.”

An emergency helpline number has been opened by MCEPL. Commuters can call for traffic-related and other help at 931118850. The customer care number for Kherki Daula toll plaza is 01242214012.