Gurgaon: Urban local bodies minister Vipul Goel on Friday directed officials to expedite monsoon preparedness measures in Faridabad, Manesar and the city so that there are no accidents or loss of lives due to waterlogging and floods.At a review meeting held in Gurgaon, the minister was told that 159 waterlogging-prone locations have been identified across the city and efforts are on to desilt drains and repair sewerage systems around them.Of the 159 spots, which include South City main market road, CRPF camp chowk, Maruti Kunj main gate and Subhash chowk police station, four fall under the “extremely critical” category, 39 are “critical”, 56 “moderate” and 60 “minor”, an official said.MCG said that of the city’s 607 km drainage network, 408.59 km has been cleaned so far, with the remaining work in progress. The civic body has set a target of May 31 to complete desilting of drains. Out of 97 drain-related projects, 72 have been completed, an official said. To respond to flooding, 109 pumps and 63 suction tankers are being arranged, he added.The meeting also also brought to the fore gaps in the rainwater harvesting infrastructure. Of 468 structures in the city, 309 are functional while 159 are under repair — an issue officials said directly impacts both waterlogging and groundwater recharge.Goel called for tighter coordination between departments and continuous monitoring of vulnerable locations. “Better coordination between departments should be established and work should be completed in a time-bound manner. Special monitoring should be kept on sensitive areas so that no problem arises during rains,” he said.Preparations in neighbouring areas were also reviewed. In Manesar, cleaning of 23 major drains, spanning 54.5 km, has begun along with the maintenance of 42 rainwater harvesting structures. In Faridabad, desilting of 157 drains covering 196 km is under way, with more than 40 sensitive waterlogging points identified for focused monitoring. For this, the MCF has set a target to complete it by June 15.The minister also directed officials to accelerate the drive to remove stray cattle from roads and ensure the Gurgaon-Faridabad road is cleared of debris, signalling a broader push to plug civic gaps ahead of the monsoon.
