Gurgaon: The city cannot pump its way out of its recurring waterlogging crisis, Union minister and Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh said on Wednesday, acknowledging that years of construction over natural drainage routes had left large parts of the city vulnerable to flooding.His comments came days after heavy rain brought traffic to a standstill and stranded schoolchildren, including hours-long chaos at Subhash Chowk on Aug 24, where school buses were stranded. Singh expressed regret to affected residents and said the focus must now shift from repeatedly pumping out accumulated water to restoring the routes through which rainwater naturally flowed.“The first step would be satellite mapping of old natural drains and water channels to identify where they existed and where construction has blocked them. In cases where buildings, schools or hospitals now stand over these routes, authorities may have to create alternative underground channels to reconnect the flow,” he said, speaking after a meeting with civic and development agencies.He blamed unplanned development over the past two decades for worsening the problem. Referring to the previous govt’s 2004–2012 tenure, he said natural rivers, streams and water-flow areas were incorporated into development zones while licences were being issued, disrupting drainage pathways over time. “Construction debris and C&D (construction and demolition) waste dumped into drains at various locations had further reduced their water-carrying capacity,” he added.He clarified that he was not opposed to development, but that the consequences of tampering with the natural drainage system during that growth were now evident.He demanded a detailed report on action taken against builders issued notices for encroaching on natural drains and warned he would not hesitate to seek a CBI probe if necessary, and separately sought a comprehensive report on illegal encroachment by builders on roughly half a dozen johads (water bodies) and natural drains. Emphasising that drainage paths must be cleared regardless of which regime allowed the violations, he warned officials to act immediately, saying he would escalate the matter to chief minister — and to the courts, if unresolved.Singh proposed a three-pronged long-term plan: reviving natural drainage channels, creating water bodies on unused govt land, and pushing rainwater underground through recharge systems, including injection tubewells at technically suitable locations.He also flagged Gurgaon’s falling groundwater level — from around 18.8 metres in 2000 to about 38.5 metres in several areas by 2025 — saying recharge efforts must run alongside flood control, with any recharge system ensuring contaminated water does not enter aquifers untreated. IITs and other technical experts are expected to be consulted for the plan.
