CHANDIGARH: Every monsoon season, Gurugram witnesses waterlogging as a whole and does not flood at a few isolated junctions. Now, this has also been proved in a new technical study report by IIT-Gandhinagar and AIReSQ, which has been prepared for the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, as it has mapped water moving across 117 sectors through 257 separate boundary crossings during a single design storm, highlighting how flooding in one area affects the entire city.
The technical report has identified 125 connected drainage areas feeding shared corridors across ward and sector lines, warning that fixing or diverting a drain at one point could shift the flooding burden elsewhere in the network rather than solving the problem.
While response centres on underground detention tanks, illustratively sized at 14,000 cubic metres for testing, has been proposed in this study, as these would capture floodwater and channel it through a four-stage treatment process comprising screening, settling, filtration and a water-quality check before release.
Thus, the treated water would go either to surface drains, when downstream capacity allows, or into a verified deep aquifer through monitored recharge wells and recharge into the shallow water table.
The study estimated that 31.48 million cubic metres of water entered Gurugram over six hours: 30.98 million cubic metres from direct rainfall and about 0.50 million cubic metres from upstream inflows, as this was based on a citywide “FloodAstra” simulation of 107.3 mm of rainfall over three hours, peaking at 73 mm per hour. The largest sector-to-sector transfer recorded was 44,237 cubic metres, flowing from Sector 1 into Sector 111.
The study noted a simulated two-park detention pilot in Palam Vihar showed a 10.6 per cent reduction in peak street-flood depth and a 25.2 per cent reduction in peak water volume, with no additional flooding recorded outside the test area.
It is learnt that the local district administration is now seeking authorisation for field survey, aquifer investigation and pilot-scale testing, as any decision on construction will be taken only after field data confirms the modelled benefits.
Municipal Commissioner of Gurugram Pradeep Dahiya said that the study marked a shift in the city’s flood-management approach and that the MCG is working on addressing the root causes of flooding rather than offering temporary solutions.
Meanwhile, a public advisory has been issued today by the Gurugram District Disaster Management Authority, urging people to avoid non-essential travel, following the latest Nowcast Warning from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which forecasts heavy rainfall in the millennium city. The IMD forecasts heavy rainfall exceeding 15 mm per hour within the next two to three hours, accompanied by moderate thunderstorms and gusty winds.
The advisory further asked citizens to avoid waterlogged roads, underpasses and low-lying areas, as well as trees, electric poles and overhead wires. It also cautioned residents against attempting to cross flooded stretches. The warning also mentions the possibility of moderate thunderstorms and gusty winds.
All concerned departments and emergency response agencies have been directed to remain vigilant and take necessary precautionary measures, the advisory stated.
Over the past 24 hours, the monsoon across the district was highly uneven, while Manesar recorded the highest rainfall at 54 mm, followed by Wazirabad at 42 mm and Gurugram at 41 mm. Kadipur and Harsaru, both under Gurugram, recorded 29 mm each, while Sohna recorded 26 mm and Badshahpur 12 mm, according to the tehsil/sub-tehsil-wise report for the period from 8 am on September 4 to 8 am on September 5.
