Gurgaon: Records from MCG’s engineering wing show that 82% of the city’s 652-km stormwater drain network was identified for pre-monsoon cleaning this year. Of this, 57% of the total network was cleaned by June 5 and another 18% by June 30, according to records.Yet, several arterial roads, intersections and low-lying areas witnessed severe waterlogging as the first spell of monsoon lashed the city on Tuesday, prompting residents and councillors to question whether the focus should be on the length of drains cleaned or the quality of work. For instance, Kundan Lal Sharma, a resident of Sector 21, said some contractors do barely 20% of the work and then ask councillors to issue completion certificates so they can claim payment. “In our case, the contractor left the work midway in Sector 21 and still sought payment. Residents asked the councillor not to issue the certificate, following which the contractor returned after six months. Even now, only around 70% of the desilting was completed. If residents want to prevent waterlogging, they have to monitor the work themselves, remain present on-site and ensure the drains are actually desilted.”Ward 11 councillor Kuldeep Yadav said councillors repeatedly urged officials to begin desilting well before the onset of the monsoon to ensure timely completion. However, he said measuring success solely by the kilometres of drains cleaned was inadequate. “The engineering wing should not only monitor the length of drains cleaned but also verify whether the hydraulic capacity has actually been restored and whether the outfalls are functioning properly without causing flooding. Otherwise, achieving numerical targets alone will not solve the problem,” Yadav said.He added that councillors and residents would also have to actively monitor the quality of desilting work on the ground.Residents said Tuesday’s flooding raises several unanswered questions. If only 7% of the identified desilting work remained after July 1, residents questioned why known waterlogging hotspots continued to flood and whether critical choke points and outfalls were cleared.Arun Bansal, a resident of Sector 15 Part 2, said desilting isolated stretches of drains does little to prevent flooding if the downstream drainage network is not functional. “MCG desilted the stormwater drain near Citizen Park, but all the water eventually flows towards the bandh at Chandan Nagar, where it accumulates and causes flooding. Desilting one stretch serves no purpose if the downstream channel and the final disposal point are not functioning properly. Unless the entire drainage network is maintained, residents will continue to suffer,” Bansal said.Meanwhile, MCG chief engineer Vijay Dhaka said, “It was due to our desilting of drains that we received exceptional results in Rajendra Park, Behrampur, Sector 10, etc. Residents too will have to ensure that they don’t build ramps over drains to prevent waterlogging.”
