Gurugram, Jul 28 (PTI) Amid a ‘yellow alert’ issued by the weather office, 35-mm rainfall in some 40 minutes on Tuesday afternoon once again exposed the ‘monsoon preparedness’ of the authorities here.
The brief spell of rainfall has doused the tall claims of zero-waterlogging, calling into question the efficacy of measures taken by the Municipal Corporation, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), and other concerned departments.
More than 50 areas across the city turned into waterlogged pools following the rain.
Accumulated water, nearly one-and-a-half feet high, between Hero Honda Chowk and Umang Bhardwaj Chowk, caused a massive traffic jam.
Vehicles slowed to a crawl along service lanes of the Daulatabad flyover on the Dwarka Expressway due to waterlogging on both sides.
Several vehicles were stalled in the middle of the road after water levels rose to nearly two feet on Chauma Road in Rajendra Park.
Residents in numerous areas including New Palam Vihar, New Colony, Madanpuri, Railway Road, Sector-4 Market, and sectors 5, 9, 9A, 10, and 47 faced difficulties, with water entering many shops and homes.
School buses and vans remained stuck in traffic jams for hours due to waterlogging.
Despite the purported drainage improvements, cleaning, silt removal and other arrangements in place, residents in most parts of the city had to grapple with waterlogging and traffic jams.
People of New Colony area experienced severe waterlogging after the heavy rain. Many roads in the colony were submerged in nearly three feet of water, disrupting normal life.
Children returning from schools faced the most difficulty. At several locations, local residents used tractors to help schoolchildren cross flooded roads. Several two-wheelers and four-wheelers parked on the road also became stuck in the accumulated water.
On the other hand, the impact of the work undertaken by the GMDA was also visible at some locations. Water accumulated on the service lane of the Delhi-Jaipur highway, but it was quickly drained from both sides through pipelines.
In the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR), AIT Chowk and Narsinghpur areas, prior work such as cleaning drains, removing debris, creating additional drain inlets, and lowering the level of the green belt prevented water from stagnating for long. This also allowed traffic to return to normal quickly.
Meanwhile, Gurugram traffic police claimed they ensured smooth traffic flow across the city despite heacy rainfall, through prompt and effective traffic management.
“Traffic police officers and personnel remained deployed on NH-48, Dwarka Expressway, Sohna Road, Golf Course Road, M G Road, the Delhi-Gurugram border, and other major intersections and waterlogging-prone locations to ensure safe and uninterrupted movement of traffic.
“Traffic Police, Gurugram continuously monitored vehicular movement through the Control Room, CCTV cameras, and field staff. Wherever there was a possibility of waterlogging or traffic disruption, personnel were immediately deployed to manage the situation and motorists were provided with safe route guidance,” a Gurugram Police spokesperson said. PTI COR ARB ARB
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