Experts blame drainage system for yearly mess

GURUGRAM: The city’s limited drainage capacity, which results in Badshahpur drain overflowing during heavy rains, disruption of the hydrological flow of natural drains, which has stopped the flow of water into traditional dams, and delayed monsoon preparedness were the main reasons for Gurugram sinking after Wednesday’s rains, experts said.

City-based urban planning experts said that the rain on Wednesday was not an exception but a cyclical phenomenon, which will happen once every few years based on historical rainfall data. The civic agencies in the city, they said, will have to plan for this. Natural drains, which were spread across the district and prominent dams, which were in existence since the British time at Ghata, Wazirabad, Nathupur, Jharsa and Manesar, have vanished and this is the reason that Golf Course Road and areas along near it flood.

“Around 100mm of rain is too much too be absorbed but based on hydrological data, exigency plans need to be created and special emphasis should be put on rainwater harvesting and creating small lakes, which can absorb water. Presently the storm water drainage system is inadequate to take this heavy load,” said Prof Sewa Ram from School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi.