To battle waterlogging, a flood control room soon in Gurgaon

Gurgaon: The latest spell of rain after cyclone Tauktae has shown why Gurgaon still needs to work on its chronic waterlogging problem despite several measures taken over the years. Before the monsoon se ts in this year, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) plans to set up a flood control room to monitor areas affected by waterlogging and take measures to address the problem.
The authority has already invited agencies to operate the flood control room and repair the stormwater drains before June 25.
Officials said the control room would be set up at a cost for Rs 70 lakh and work in coordination with different government agencies. It will also have a helpline for people to lodge complaints related to waterlogging. “Once a complaint is received, it will be forwarded to the officer deployed for that area. A team will visit the spot and drain the water out,” a GMDA official said.
The metropolitan authority has identified around 50 black spots known for waterlogging. Some of them are Basai Road, Khandsa Chowk, Iffco Chowk, Rajeev Chowk and Subhash Chowk. The Golf Course area, which was inundated last year, did not make it to the list. GMDA has also issued tenders for machines to pump out water.
For manning the flood control centre, sub-divisional officers have already been appointed. “They will work in shifts. The control room will operate through the day,” an official said.
That the problem of waterlogging is far from over in the city was evident a few days ago when the Tauktae-induced rain inundated several areas. Officials admitted that delay in drain projects had led to waterlogging in some areas, but insisted that the water did not stay for more than two hours. For instance, GMDA had proposed an additional drain to check waterlogging at Iffco Chowk, but the project is yet to see light of the day.
Initially, the authorities had planned to set up flood control measures by May, but have now pushed the deadline to June 25.
TOI had reported earlier that GMDA officials had been asked to begin work on a flood control plan in a week. Among the measures are constructing check dams in the Aravalis and also repairing the existing ones so that water from the hills does not flow into the city. Cleaning and desilting of drains had been scheduled earlier, but got delayed because of the lockdown, officials said.