Gurgaon’s monsoon flood reveals costly drainage failures and staffing gaps
Heavy rain on Monday left Gurgaon’s main roads underwater, stranding commuters and schoolchildren despite billions spent on drainage upgrades.
Monday’s monsoon deluge dumped about 75 mm of rain on Gurgaon, turning major arteries like Golf Course Road, MG Road and the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway into impassable rivers and leaving schoolchildren stranded for three to six hours. Commuters missed trains and lost work hours, while a recent Rs 503 crore investment in drainage over nine years failed to prevent the crisis. Desilting of three master drains and work at 158 vulnerable spots in June proved insufficient, as the same corridors flooded again, and a Rs 11.8 crore road upgrade in Sector 102-102A remains water-logged.
The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon has filled only 209 of its 427 sanctioned positions, hampering year-round monitoring of drains and roads. Authorities urged offices and schools to shift to remote work to ease traffic for emergency repairs. Experts note that increasing heavy-rain days across India demand a redesign of Gurgaon’s infrastructure strategy.
Why it matters
Residents and businesses suffer repeated disruptions and costs despite large public spending on inadequate flood control.
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