Chandigarh: The Haryana government has asked Gurugram’s administration to examine whether Hyderabad’s flood-management model can be adapted for the city, as part of a plan it has been told to prepare by 31 December 2026 to deal with recurring waterlogging.
Dr Sumita Misra, Financial Commissioner Revenue and Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management, said Thursday that the Gurugram Deputy Commissioner has been directed to prepare an action plan for urban flood management. The plan must carry clearly defined targets, milestones and time-bound interventions, the Revenue and Disaster Management Department has said in its communication.
The study of the Hyderabad model will cover a centralised control room and the interlinking of lakes and other water bodies. The district administration has been asked to assess whether either can be replicated locally. The directions follow a meeting convened by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs under its Additional Secretary (Disaster Management).
So, what is the Hyderabad model?
A senior officer of the Haryana government told ThePrint that Telangana and institutions in Hyderabad have put in place certain measures over the years. They treat flooding as something to be forecast and planned for, not just managed after it occurs, he said.
The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad has been working on an Urban Flood Information System. It brings together rainfall forecasts, hydrological modelling of how much water will flow into drains and lakes, and flood maps that estimate which areas will go under and how deep. A platform called SnapFlood collects real-time reports from citizens. The aim is to warn authorities and residents before the water rises.
The second part is planning. In August 2025, the Telangana government approved a Storm Water Master Plan for the Telangana Core Urban Region. It covers about 2,050 square kilometres and three municipal corporations: Greater Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri. The plan envisages mapping drainage networks, lakes, natural channels, encroachments and land use. It will use hydraulic modelling to simulate present and future flood scenarios, with projections up to 2047.
The third part is enforcement. The state has set up the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency, known as HYDRAA. It is tasked with protecting lakes, canals, parks and government land, removing encroachments, and coordinating rescue and flood response.
Reports published in Telangana media suggest that Hyderabad’s interest in the subject is not new. In September 1908, the Musi river breached its banks and flooded the old city. Estimates of the dead run to about 15,000. The disaster led the Nizam’s government to build the Osmania Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs upstream.
Later floods in August 2000 and again in October 2020 showed how far the city had grown beyond available drainage. The 2020 rain submerged colonies built over old lakes and canals and left dozens dead across the state. Encroachment on water bodies was named as the main cause. The current measures grew out of that experience.
Why Hyderabad is relevant for Gurugram
The problems faced by the two cities are similar. Gurugram has grown rapidly and paved much of its surface. Natural drainage channels have been built over or choked. Housing and commercial projects have come up around water bodies and in low-lying areas. Drains have not kept pace with construction. Responsibility is also divided among the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority, the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran, the Public Health Engineering Department and the Irrigation and Water Resources Department.
Residents have been suffering for years. On 28 July 2016, a day of heavy rain left Gurugram and the Delhi-Gurugram stretch of NH-48 jammed for hours. Thousands were stuck in their cars through the evening and night. The episode came to be called ‘Maha Jam’. Ten years on, the stranded school buses at Subhash Chowk suggest that much has changed.
On the afternoon of 24 August, more than a dozen school buses sat in the water at Subhash Chowk in Gurugram. Inside were children, hungry and tired, waiting for a road to reappear. Some were there for hours. Videos from the spot showed buses with water up to their tyres and a little girl crying.
It was not the first time the city had come to a halt after rain. However, it does appear to be the one that pushed the state government to act.
Sumita Misra’s Thursday communication lists seven priority areas, including root-cause analysis, water-body management, disaster funding, technical planning and emergency preparedness.
The administration has been told to identify each flooding hotspot and find out why water collects there, whether because of blocked drains or faulty stormwater design. It will also look at the State Disaster Mitigation Fund for flood-prevention projects, and seek technical help from the National Disaster Management Authority.
The Director General of Police has been asked to ensure standard operating procedures are prepared to reduce congestion on rainy days. The district administration must also carry out GIS-based mapping of critical infrastructure and emergency resources, promote the SACHET app for warnings, and bring trained volunteers, including Aapda Mitra and Yuva Aapda Mitra, into its response arrangements.
It is to be seen whether a study of Hyderabad will lead to anything similar in Gurugram. A flood plan generally needs a single agency with the authority to act on a catchment-wide basis, and Gurugram has multiple agencies—Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority, Municipal Corporation, Gurugram, Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran, NHAI, State Irrigation Department, to name a few. The deadline for the action plan is 31 December.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)