Gurugram: Drains choked by dust, garbage led to waterlogging in 4 sectors

GURUGRAM: Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is commissioning a Rs 57.10 lakh project for the cleaning and desilting of the reinforced concrete (RCC) stormwater drain near sectors 30, 31, 40 and 41, which may resolve waterlogging issues in the area.
According to GMDA officials, it will take two months to complete the project.
Pardeep Kumar, chief engineer, GMDA, Infra 2, said that earlier the authority completed building a surface drain in the area to check waterlogging issues. The surface drain connected the stormwater drain passing through the area's green belt with the master stormwater drain running along National Highway 48.
Despite the work, the area continued to see waterlogging. "Water in the area was not draining out during rainfall; it would take two-and-a-half to three hours for the water to clear out,” Kumar said.
When the issue was further probed, it was found that 40-60% of the stormwater drain running between the dividing roads of sectors 40 and 41, 31 and 41, and 31 and 30 towards the Sector 31 flyover on NH-48 was choked with dust and garbage. As a result, water couldn't drain out into the master stormwater drain along NH-48.
This issue was taken up in a meeting of the Core Planning Cell (CPC) of the GMDA in September. At the meeting, officials informed that 23 manholes in the area had been checked and documentation had been prepared about the total volume of silt that needed to be cleared. Then, GMDA CEO Sudhir Rajpal had directed officials to provide details about when the manholes were last cleaned.
At another CPC meeting earlier this week, officials informed that the stormwater drain needed to be cleaned using “high power super sucker machines”.
“This drain was earlier with Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and was transferred to us three years ago. However, it appears to have not been cleaned in a long time. The proposal for its cleaning and desilting was approved in the CPC meeting,” said Kumar.
He said that GMDA would now float a tender for the work. "Once the work begins, it will take around two months to complete it. We expect it to be done by March next year and so this waterlogging issue will be resolved by next monsoon,” he said.
The unclogged drain will help clear water from sectors 30, 31, 40, and 41, which see a high footfall and includes several community markets, offices, schools, and hospitals, GMDA officials said.