No ‘major civic issue’ in Gurgaon except waterlogging during heavy rain, Lok Sabha told

It was a written response to a question by Congress leader and Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda on whether Gurgaon continues to suffer from infrastructural problems, specifically waterlogging, despite being a ‘key corporate hub’. He sought specifics on steps taken by the government to address these challenges and the amount of funds allocated and utilised toward civic improvements.

The Union Ministry stated that water and sanitation fall under the State’s jurisdiction.

Khattar, citing the government’s information, pointed to the city’s unique topography: Gurgaon sits between the Aravalli hills to the east and the Najafgarh Drain to the northwest, creating an elevation difference of nearly 78 metres.

This created a natural gradient for water flow that was controlled by historical drainage systems which relied on 19th-century bunds and pond networks.

These, the minister said, have now been rendered ineffective by rapid urbanisation, leading to frequent flooding during monsoons.

“The rapid urbanisation has rendered many bunds obsolete and reduced pond networks, impacting traditional drainage systems. Around 90 critical waterlogging points were identified in 2019, which were reduced to 30 in 2024,” Khattar said.

He said major civil works to tackle waterlogging, as mentioned in the reply, include: construction of master stormwater drains at critical bottlenecks such as Narsinghpur along NH-48, Khandsa Chowk, Tau Devi Lal Stadium, and near Sector 17/18, among others.

“Emergency water-pumping infrastructure has also been scaled up. The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) reported deployment of 141 heavy-duty pumps and 77 suction tankers to alleviate crisis points during seasonal flooding. Further, to address systemic drainage issues, a comprehensive drainage plan is reportedly in the works.”

The State government’s assertion comes at a time when the MCG, in a July 29 office order allowing residents, corporators and contractors to deploy their vehicles for garbage collection, admitted to the sanitation issues in the city.

“In light of the current sanitation challenges in Gurugram, which have escalated to a level posing a potential health disaster for the city, it has been observed that there is no stable door-to-door garbage collection mechanism in place… there has been a significant increase in garbage dumping at designated Garbage Vulnerable Points (GVPs)… Further, lack of required skilled and unskilled manpower worsened the sanitation situation”, the MCG had stated.

It had added that the order was being issued ‘strictly to address the current sanitation emergency in the City’.