Upscale Gurgaon colony pumps out rainwater to save homes, gets FIR warning
South City II residents said overflowing master drains leave them with no option; GMDA argued that pumped discharge overwhelms roadside drains and floods thoroughfares.
Around 12.30 pm on Monday, S C Sharma, a 72-year-old tax consultant, was at home in Block A1 of Gurgaon’s South City II when rainwater began entering houses in his lane.
Within minutes, the internal colony road was submerged, leaving residents with little choice but to switch on emergency dewatering pumps to drain the water out.“If the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority’s drain backflows water into our society, what other option do we have?” Sharma said.
But pumping the water out triggered a standoff between residents of the upscale plotted colony — where ground-floor plots command upwards of Rs 3 crore — and the GMDA. On Tuesday, an official on duty warned residents that an FIR would be lodged against them for pumping water from the society onto the main road.
In a formal representation to GMDA Executive Engineer Ajayender Singh Suhag, marked to CEO P C Meena, the South City II Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) flagged severe and recurrent waterlogging in Block A1 and protested against the alleged FIR threat by GMDA Junior Engineer (JE) Sonu Kaushik.
RWA flags recurring flooding
According to the RWA, each time the city sees a spell of heavy rain, it causes the master stormwater and sewer lines along the Sector 47-49 dividing road to overflow.
The flooding directly impacts nearly 200 households. The RWA pointed out that even on July 9, 2024, approximately 160 houses had been severely affected, and a community dog died of electrocution during the waterlogging.
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“We are not doing it out of choice,” said Navdeep Yadav, president of the South City II RWA. “When the water volume increases and the government agencies do not intervene, what other option do we have but to deploy our own temporary pumps so society roads can remain clear?”
RWA member Neeraj Yadav maintained that temporary pump arrangements remain the only lifeline for residents during torrential showers when master drains overflow into their homes.
Waterlogged street outside A1 block of South City II. (Special arrangement)
GMDA: Surface drains not meant for pumped-out water
Responding to the RWA, Suhag, it is learnt, told residents that surface drains are not meant for pumping society water.
“The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) officer concerned was requested to get the society’s connection hooked into the master stormwater line, and not the roadside surface drains,” Suhag told the RWA.
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Speaking to The Indian Express, JE Sonu Kaushik explained that the roadside surface drains are only 2 to 2.5 feet wide and are designed to carry runoff from the carriageway, rather than the high-volume discharge pumped out of residential complexes.
“We got the information from the labour supervisor of the workforce clearing the surface drains. I only warned them against pumping water onto the road, letting them know that if there are any further violations, an FIR may be filed. There was no threat,” Kaushik said.
“Societies and commercial establishments dump water on the road like this and make 10 mm of rain seem like 50 mm, and then videos are flashed all over social media to defame authorities,” he claimed.
Kaushik added that societies often fail to maintain their internal rainwater harvesting systems and instead push the burden onto public infrastructure.
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He said GMDA officials had also warned the society on Friday against deploying pumps in this manner, but the warning was not heeded. “As per legal norms applicable, the FIR can be lodged under relevant sections regarding damage to public property,” he said.
GMDA has not formally responded to the RWA’s communications.
The district recorded 80 mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period beginning at 8 am Monday.
Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana.
Education
- Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020)
- B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019)
Professional Experience
Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features.
Reporting Interests
His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon.
Recent Coverage (2025)
- Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025).
- Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025).
- Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025).
- Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram.
- Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025).
- Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025).
Contact
X (Twitter): @AB_Hazardous ... Read More
Waterlogged street outside A1 block of South City II. (Special arrangement)