Water run-off from Aravallis prevented from reaching Golf Course Road

Despite heavy rain on Monday, there was minimal waterlogging reported from stretches around the Aravallis compared to previous years as rainwater was diverted to the forests through check dams built in the area, said officials.

After severe waterlogging on Golf Course Road last year, authorities identified that run-off water from the creeks in the Aravallis was the main cause. Ahead of this monsoon, they built check dams in the Aravallis to ensure that the water was diverted to the forest area, which also serves as a vital catchment area for recharging the groundwater table.

Subhash Yadav, the divisional forest officer and head of the urban environment division, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), said that till last year, water from the creeks used to flow into the drain system and added to the load on the Badshahpur drain.

“This time, we ensured rainwater from the Aravallis did not run off into drains. Water from three creeks was stored in the forests itself with the help of water bodies and check dams made there. This will help in both groundwater recharge and availability of water for wildlife,” said Yadav.

Three check dams were built along the creeks on Golf Course Road, while creeks near the Shiv Nadar School and in Wazirabad were revitalised to arrest rainwater flow.

On August 19 and 20 of 2020, the city received over 196mm of rainfall, following which the seven-kilometre Golf Course Road was inundated, with rainwater accumulation as high as 0.5 metres above the surface level at several points. However, this year, despite receiving 185mm of rainfall in two days, waterlogging was not reported from Golf Course Road, Sector 28 and Sector 26 that are located around the Aravallis.

Latika Thukral, the co-founder of iamgurgaon, an organisation that helped authorities conduct a hydrogeological study of the area, said, “This time, a decision was taken that no concretised drains will be made near the Aravallis and try to move the water from the roads into the green areas. So, for instance, MG Road and Faridabad Road are 200 metres above the Golf Course Road; so when water comes from there, it gushes down. But with this trial, this year, water flowed into the forests.”

She said that cleaning of the Chakkarpur-Wazibarad bundh helped channel water from roads to the drains and that this part of the city did not get flooded.

Meanwhile, the effectiveness of the counter waterlogging measures in the Aravallis was also discussed during a high-level meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) at the PWD rest house in Civil Lines on Tuesday.

In the meeting, held to review Monday’s waterlogging woes, MCG councillor Kuldeep Yadav expressed appreciation for the arrangement of ponds and natural drains made in the Aravalli region.

“Wherever possible, such arrangements should be made in other areas also. Due to heavy rains on Monday, water collected in these ponds and natural drains would gradually recharge the groundwater. Small creeks should be made at other places in the city also. Along with this, the green belt area should be made below the road level, so that rainwater can be collected there,” said Yadav, in an official release issued by the MCG.

He also suggested the construction of modular harvesting pits.

The MCG commissioner, Mukesh Kumar Ahuja, directed all joint commissioners to visit spots where waterlogging was reported along with the local ward councillor and engineering wing officials to take remedial measures.

Mayor Madhu Azad also said that a proposal would be sent to senior officials, including the Haryana chief minister, seeking action against officers or MCG workers over laxity in work.