Gurgaon: GMDA is planning to construct an 800-metre stormwater drain along the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway at Narsingpur to improve drainage capacity and reduce waterlogging on the flood-prone stretch.The authority has floated a tender for the project, estimated to cost Rs 8.28 crore. Officials said the work is expected to take around six months after the contract is awarded.Under the proposal, two RCC box drains will be constructed beneath the service road along the Narsingpur-Cyber Park stretch on the Jaipur-Delhi side of the expressway. The drain will extend from the existing culvert number 2, which carries stormwater from the opposite side of the expressway, to Radha Krishna Garden Road.Officials said the proposed drain will connect to a 650-metre drain currently being constructed by GMDA at Narsingpur, which will eventually discharge into the Badshahpur drain in Sector 37.Officials said the project is intended to augment the capacity of the existing surface drains built by NHAI, which are of varying sizes and are unable to handle the stormwater load during heavy rainfall. Runoff from multiple catchment areas will be channelled through the proposed drainage network.The project is part of a broader effort to address chronic waterlogging in the area. HSIIDC is also undertaking the construction of a surface drain along the Delhi-Jaipur side of NH-8. In the first phase, a 1.2-km RCC drain will be laid along the stretch. The project also includes widening the service road by 15 metres to ease traffic movement. The project was allotted to an agency last month.However, construction has not begun due to restrictions on tree felling following directions issued by Punjab and Haryana High Court. “Though we had obtained permission from the forest department earlier, we cannot start the work because of the High Court directions,” an HSIIDC official said.The HSIIDC drain is proposed to channel rainwater accumulating along the Delhi-Jaipur carriageway towards the Badshahpur drain through a culvert. Earlier, NHAI was expected to construct the culvert. However, GMDA is now undertaking this work by laying three 900-mm-diameter pipes beneath NH-8 using trenchless technology, which allows underground construction without disrupting traffic on the busy expressway.The project remained stuck for nearly a year amid discussions between GMDA and NHAI over the design and construction methodology of the cross-highway connection. Officials said the 650-metre drain was designed to carry runoff from the Jaipur-Delhi side of the expressway. An additional culvert was later found necessary to transfer stormwater from the opposite carriageway as well.While most of the work on the drain has been completed, GMDA has also started laying piped culverts, which are expected to be functional this monsoon. However, the proposed 800-metre drain and the HSIIDC project are likely to be completed before the next monsoon season.“Work on the piped culvert has already begun, and with the completion of the 650-metre drain, we expect to mitigate waterlogging to a large extent. Moreover, the proposed new drains, for which the tendering process has already started, will further strengthen the stormwater drainage network in the area,” a senior GMDA official said.
