Palam Vihar residents say drain in area caving in, ask GMDA to fix it
The work on covering the 1,500 metre stretch of this drain, which is also called “Leg One” of the drainage system in the city, started in February but residents alleged that the work is being carried out without any contingency plan in place for emergencies
A group of residents in Palam Vihar’s Block F on Monday demanded that the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) urgently repair a stormwater drain flowing nearby their houses as they apprehended that the continuous flow of sewage and rainwater could damage their houses.
Residents said due to the moderate rain on Saturday and Sunday, the mud on both sides of the drain is giving way and any further erosion could damage their houses.
The work on covering the 1,500 metre stretch of this drain, which is also called “Leg One” of the drainage system in the city, started in February but residents alleged that the work is being carried out without any contingency plan in place for emergencies.
According to GMDA officials, the stormwater drain is being expanded to prevent waterlogging as it carries rainwater from several areas such as Nathupur, Udyog Vihar, Cyberhub, Mollahera, sector 22, 23, and Palam Vihar.
Several areas in Palam Vihar, sectors 23,.23 A and 22 were severely waterlogged on Sunday evening after rainwater and sewage from the drain overflowed.
GMDA CEO Sudhir Rajpal also visited Sector 23 on Sunday to assess the waterlogging situation, which residents said was grim despite the city receiving only moderate rainfall.
GMDA started the work on expanding Leg One drain in Palam Vihar and covering it with a concrete lintel in February at a cost of around ₹13 crore, and said it will be completed before the monsoon arrives in July.
The area residents, however, alleged that the authority was not working as per any plan, and the pace of work was slow. “There was only moderate rainfall in the past two days but that was enough to flood the drain. As the retaining walls were removed, the sewage water is eroding the embankment. The water is a mix of sewage and rainwater which is causing a foul smell,” said major general (retd) BK Pande, adding that level of the drain is also faulty.
“On Sunday, the earth around the drain started caving in on both sides by two to three feet. If there is any more rain, the drain water will damage our houses. We want the authorities to take immediate corrective steps,” he said.
“We want the repair to be carried out immediately and first GMDA should construct the retaining walls on both sides of the drain and work on the bottom surface should be taken up separately,” said Dalip Suri, an affected house owner.
Bela Shelat, another house owner, said there is a need to ensure that sewage water does not flow into the drain and repairs are carried out immediately. “We will hold protests if the authorities don’t take corrective measures at the earliest,” she said.
“As far as the problem in Palam Vihar is concerned, we are aware about the situation and taking corrective action. We have deployed a team, which will ensure that sandbags and steel or wooden plates are installed on both sides of the drain to fortify it. The drain is around 15 feet away from the nearest houses and there is no immediate threat to those houses but still we will ensure that no further erosion of earth takes place,” said Vikram Singh, executive engineer, GMDA.
Due to the rain in the city on Saturday, severe waterlogging was reported from several parts of the city and Narsinghpur on the National Highway besides internal and arterial roads in several colonies.
