Gurugram civic body to complete monsoon prep by June 30

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has set a June 30 as the deadline for the completion of all monsoon preparedness measures in the city.

With just over 10 weeks left for the deadline, MCG officials conceded that they were racing against time to complete the requisite measures but added that the situation was better than in 2020 and 2021 when Covid-induced lockdowns, as well as staff being caught up with Covid-19 relief measures, led to a manpower shortage and delay in the execution of monsoon preparedness measures, which left the city vulnerable to water logging.

In a 41-page internal order issued on Saturday, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times, MCG commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja set the June 30 deadline, appointed additional commissioners and joint commissioners as nodal officers and assigned responsibilities to other officials for the upcoming monsoon season.

A status update on MCG’s monsoon preparedness measures was also attached to Ahuja’s order, which revealed that only five ponds — Jahajgarh pond, Sirhaul pond, Sukhrali pond, Basai Dada Bhaya pond, Kadipur pond of 37 ponds have been developed, while work on the remaining 32 ponds is underway. MCG officials in December last year had decided to develop ponds in areas under the civic body’s jurisdiction to prevent inundation on major roads, mitigate localised water logging, and help recharge the city’s groundwater table. The water table in the city dropped to 36.99 metres in 2021 from 33.23 metres in 2018, according to the district administration’s groundwater cell report.

Ahuja’s order also revealed that only 145 of 354 rainwater harvesting pits under the MCG’s engineering wing are currently functional. Since November 2017, MCG has identified rainwater harvesting pits as a possible measure to mitigate water logging, help groundwater table recharging, and conserve water. In August 2018, the then MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav revealed that the city receives around 600-700mm of rainwater each year and hence, rainwater harvesting pits were important for the city.

“Rainwater harvesting and ponds help reduce stormwater run-off and this, in turn, can reduce contamination of surface water with sediment, metals, pesticides, etc. It is a simple and effective method that can serve as a source of water for plants and landscape irrigation in cities, in addition to conserving water and recharging underground aquifers,” said Indu K Murthy, sector head, climate, environment and sustainability, at Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP).

The order also listed 97 localised counter-water logging projects the MCG is currently undertaking across the city such as cleaning, repairing, desilting, constructing stormwater drains; setting up or shifting pumping stations; cleaning creeks in the Aravallis; hiring machinery such as tractor trolleys, motor pumps, as well as manpower for dewatering operations.

Besides the 97 localised projects, MCG is executing a solitary project at major flood-prone points this season--constructing a new culvert at Garauli Khurd on Pataudi Road, located near Sector 37D and the Badshahpur drain.

Besides this, the MCG also has a limited role in reducing water logging along Narshinghpur on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, another major flood-prone point, by developing six ponds in surrounding areas for accumulating rainwater. Work on both these projects is in progress, said officials.

“We are on track to complete around 80-85% of all allotted works for monsoon preparedness this year. Few projects, especially in regard to the development of ponds, are stuck in litigation issues, while some projects such as developing a culvert at Garauli Khurd at Pataudi Road and laying a stormwater drain between sectors 4 and 9A involve extensive work and are likely to be completed only after the monsoon season,” said a senior MCG official privy to the matter.

As is the norm, MCG officials started monsoon preparedness measures last month, unlike in 2020 and 2021 when the process only commenced in May. Both years, by the time monsoon arrived, only 40-50% of the work had been completed resulting in large parts of the city witnessing heavy water logging, said officials.

“Around 60% tenders for monsoon preparedness projects will be allocated to concerned contracts by April 30, and the remaining 40% by mid-May which will give us ample time to complete all requisite measures. We are on track to meet the June 30 deadline,” said Vivek Gill, superintending engineer, MCG.