Rain leaves Gurugram, Faridabad in troubled waters

Tribune News Service

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, June 28

Gurugram got a taste of the monsoon rains today as almost the entire city faced waterlogging after a night-long spell of rain. The residents woke up to flooded streets and submerged cars as the district received over 150 mm of rain, the highest being reported in the Sohna area. To add to their woes, a majority of the residential areas faced long power cuts. The residents took to social media to highlight their plight.

In control

The situation was under control, there was no major traffic congestion. The underpasses were clear and no major hindrance to daily life took place. The water did log at many areas but was drained on time. The identified vulnerable points were clear or quickly drained. —Nishant Yadav, Gurugram DC

Civic failure

All societies and sectors were flooded heavily, with vehicles submerged up to bonnets. Children couldn’t go to schools, people couldn’t leave for offices, the public transport was badly impacted. The civic agencies have failed us yet again. — Praveen Yadav, President, United Gurugram Resident Welfare Assocation

“All societies and sectors were flooded heavily with vehicles submerged up to bonnets. People couldn’t step out and power was snapped in many areas,” said Praveen Yadav, president, United Gurugram Resident Welfare Assocation. “Children couldn’t go to schools, people couldn’t leave for offices, the public transport was badly impacted. The civic agencies have failed us yet again,” he added.

“I was to do an important surgery and when I stepped out of my house I found my vehicle submerged and no cabs available. Only I know how I reached the hospital. What’s the point in living in posh multi-crore homes when water is logged like slums?” said a cardiologist from Greenwood city in Sector 45.

Amongst the worst affected areas were roads around Sispal Vihar , Ardeecity, Caterpuri, Palam Vihar, Dwarka Expressway, Sector 9, Sector 21, Sector 23, Sector 14, Sector 17, MG Road, cyber city Golf course road ,Delhi-Gurugram Expressway ,IFFCO Chowk Metro station, Narsinghpur Chowk, Hero Honda Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Vatika Chowk, Dwarka Expressway, Golf Course Extension Road, Southern Peripheral Road, Udyog Vihar, Sohna Road, Basai, Khandsa Road, and Pataudi Road. A 3-km stretch of traffic congestion was reported from Khandsa to Kherki Daula toll which was one of the worst affected areas, forcing commuters to use the main carriageway. When contacted, DC Gurugram Nishant Yadav said logging was unexpected but remedial measures were being taken.

“The situation was under control, there was no major traffic congestion. The underpasses were clear and no major hindrance to daily life took place. The water did log at many areas but was drained on time. The identified vulnerable points were clear or quickly drained. We have got some new areas to work on, these will be resolved before the next showers,” said Yadav.

Officers designated wards

To ensure quick drainage, assistant engineers and junior engineers have been assigned wards. These officers will ensure drainage management in their respective allotted wards and extended areas.

Special helpline numbers

Helpline numbers 7290076135 and 7290088127 have been issued to ensure quick resolution of complaints. These helpline numbers will be available 24 hours through WhatsApp along with photos, addresses and location.

Appeal to citizens

All Assistant Engineers and Junior Engineers have been given strict instructions that they will attend the helpline phone calls and if they are unable to attend due to any reason, they will call back.

Traffic police bail out people in distress

The Gurugram traffic police took to city roads around 6 am and went whole hog to keep traffic moving on roads and helping those in distress. From declogging drains themselves to repairing broken vehicles, traffic cops stood on the waterlogged roads to keep the city moving. Congestion was reported owing to waterlogging in areas like Sohna road, MG road, parts of NH 8 . “We have managed to pull a difficult day efficiently. Except for a few places, the situation was manageable. Our teams were deployed at all major locations, monitoring waterlogging spots. Suction pumps used by the GMDA and MCG helped return the situation to normal within a few hours.” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Virender Vij.

Roads turn into water channels in Faridabad

Several city roads turned into water channels as around 43 mm of rain lashed the city. The heavy downpour that took place in the early hours on Friday resulted in accumulation of rainwater upto two feet in several areas. While several vehicles broke down, the showers exposed the tall claims of the preparedness of the civic administration to deal with the problem of waterlogging and blocked drains. The heavy downpour affected attendance in educational institutions as well as private and government offices.

The sectors and the colonies in NIT, Ballabgarh and Old Faridabad zones were in a state of deluge for hours together. Though the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) officials claimed to have put all its staff and machinery on the job for draining out excess water, sources in the department revealed that absence of stormwater drains and poor cleanliness of the sewerage network had been the main cause of waterlogging.

We managed situation well: MCG

While residents were left high and dry, Municipal Corporation Gurugram claimed they had managed the crisis well. “To ensure that the citizens do not face any problem, from Friday morning itself, the corporation employees took charge on the field with adequate machinery, pump sets and other resources,” said MCG Commissioner Narhari Singh Banger. The corporation claimed to have deployed adequate manpower including 12 JCBs, 12 suction tankers, 61 tractor mounted pumps, 25 diesel engines in the MC area for proper drainage. “Teams are continuously working in different areas for proper cleaning of all drains, sewers and roads,” Banger said.

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