Ggm sinks after 6 hours of rain, again
RAIN PAIN 118mm rain makes mockery of drainage system; seven underpasses drown, roads flooded
GURUGRAM: The best laid plans were taken and tossed into the drain on Wednesday as rain fell on Gurugram, the likes of which were seen last in 2016.
The city received 118mm rain -not unexpected for August-- in around six hours and made a mockery of the drainage system. Seven underpasses were drowned, people living in low-lying houses were forced out and most of the city’s major roads were flooded till late evening.
For Gurugram residents, it evoked memories of the infamous “Gurujam” where commuters were stuck on roads for more than 20 hours in July 2016. In fact, Wednesday received almost double the rain than that fateful day, but this time a repeat was avoided thanks to authorities understanding local drainage issues and taking counter measures and the deployment of first responders -- police and fire personnel -quickly.
But the “great escape” was by a narrow margin.
Three underpasses on the Golf Course Road at DLF Phase 1, Genpact Chowk, and Bristol Chowk, two in Cyber City next to Shankar Chowk and Cyberhub, two on the Delhi-gurgaon Expressway at IFFCO Chowk and Rajiv Chowk were flooded and traffic police closed them off to the public.
The only serious motor victim of the rain seemed to have been driver of a sedan who had to abandon his vehicle on the DLF Phase 1 underpass when water rose suddenly. A video of two persons swimming next to the car went viral over social media.
“The underpasses on Raghavendra Marg have been in use for the last 3/4 years. Until today, we have never experienced water logging of this magnitude,” said a spokesperson for DLF, the caretaker of the underpasses on Golf Course Road and Cyber City. “The intensity of rainfall received this morning was 6-7 times higher than the designed capacity of the master drainage system. Of the seven underpasses on Raghavendra Marg, six are fully operational. The seventh, Arjun Marg underpass in DLF Phase I was impacted due to reverse discharge of rain water from main drainage system.”
Satyawan Samriwal, assistant divisional fire officer, said that 11 fire tenders, including four from DLF fire services, were used to drain water from the seven underpasses.
DCP traffic Chander Mohan said that more than 4,000 police personnel were deployed across the city to manage traffic, 20 cranes were used to tow 50 vehicles that had broken down .
In several condominiums and residential sectors situated in low-lying areas, such as Belvedere Park in Cyber City, Suncity on Golf Course Road, DLF Phase 1-2, sectors 27, and 28 there was knee-deep rainwater, which not only prevented residents from venturing outside but in some cases flooded ground-floor houses as well.