Ggm: Locals flag inaction despite data on waterlogging hotspots

Gurugram: With the monsoon season looming over Gurugram, members of the citizen-led initiative Making Model Gurugram (MMG) have expressed their dismay over the civic administration’s failure to act on detailed data that they had provided on the city’s chronic waterlogging hotspots, they said.

The members pointed out that despite repeated submissions of field reports to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and even Haryana cabinet minister Rao Narbir Singh, no meaningful mitigation plan has been put in place.

Gauri Sarin, founder of Making Model Gurugram, said residents have done the groundwork that authorities should have led. “There is now enough data on waterlogging spots shared with all relevant agencies and officials. The last four months should have been used to plan and implement preventive measures, but we’re still waiting. Local people have workable solutions—they should be included in the planning process,” she said.

Sarin emphasised the need for a multipronged approach involving the removal of flow barriers, cleaning of drains and sumps, construction of harvesting pits, and management of low-lying zones. She also urged the formation of a dedicated flood control task force to swiftly respond to citizen complaints and enforce drainage corrections before the rains hit.

Despite public statements from officials acknowledging waterlogging as a recurring challenge, MMG members insist that no ground-level consultation or action has been undertaken. “Residents understand the context of their neighbourhoods. Why not involve them meaningfully?” Sarin asked.

Chaitali Mandhotra, RWA member from Ardee City, echoed a similar concern. “Desilting is the key, and it should have been completed by now. Last year, desilting in our colony was abruptly halted and never resumed. We fear a repeat of the same chaos this year,” she said.

In Gurugram’s Sector 48, residents of Tatvam Villas have taken matters into their own hands. A colour-coded road marking system devised by resident Manjeev Aggarwal now helps commuters navigate safely through flooded roads. Green, yellow, and red markers denote safe, cautious, and avoid zones respectively. “This simple system eliminated vehicle stranding incidents last year for the first time,” said Priyansha Aggarwal, another resident, who added that blocked drains near V Club continue to cause damage and pose health risks.

MMG members now urge authorities to shift to a proactive, citizen-inclusive planning—warning that without institutional accountability, Gurugram’s flood-prone streets may once again be submerged in chaos this monsoon.