News: Will pits help avert flooding on key spots? Plan on GMDA table-11-06-2022
Gurgaon: The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is exploring the possibility of creating depressions — essentially pits — to reduce waterlogging in key parts of the city, including IFFCO Chowk and the Signature Towers junction ahead of this monsoon.
Officials said on Friday that the authority is considering whether the pits can be dug up to collect rainwater that would eventually help recharge groundwater levels as well.
One of the locations under purview is the Leisure Valley Park in Sector 29, which will be meant to utilise water flowing downstream from the neighbouring sectors of 27 and 28. The other area shortlisted is an open stretch of land in Sector 29 that would divert rainwater from inundating IFFCO Chowk and the Signature Towers junction.
GMDA CEO Sudhir Rajpal gave these instructions to officials at a meeting of the civic authority’s core planning cell earlier this month, a senior GMDA official told TOI.
On Friday, officials aware of the latest direction questioned the practicality of creating such pits in urban and residential areas.
“Creating a depression in the Leisure Valley Park does not make much sense. The park is meant for use by residents of the city, if we create a depression and direct all the rainwater there, it will become unusable and mucky during the monsoon. Second, the park is not located downhill and water does not flow in that direction naturally, so there is no sense in creating a depression there," said a second GMDA official on the condition of anonymity.
He said that digging a pit was not feasible on an empty stretch of land in Sector 29 as well. “If there were green belts or forest areas, we could have still considered this possibility, but depressions cannot be made simply on vacant plots of land… the drainage of the city needs to be enhanced," he added.
The GMDA CEO couldn’t be reached for comment till Friday evening.
In the last two years, GMDA has turned to interventions like check dams to curb waterlogging in the city. It previously said that creeks and check dams introduced in the Aravallis – around 11 have been built and two more are in the pipeline — had averted flooding in several areas of Gurgaon after the heavy spell of rain on May 30.
