News: GMDA to repair, build dams in Aravalis-06-10-2020

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/gmda-to-repair-build-dams-in-aravalis/articleshow/78501757.cms

GURUGRAM: The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has started work on the identification and revival of existing dams in the Aravalis and construction of new dams to capture rainwater as part of its comprehensive drainage plan. This will not only stop waterlogging in areas at the foothills of the Aravalis, but will also prevent flooding in the entire city in case of heavy rainfall.

The comprehensive drainage plan, estimated to cost Rs 289 crore, was approved by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar during a GMDA meeting in March this year. Phase 1 of the plan was expected to be completed at a cost of Rs 158 crore in 2019-20 and the next phase the year after, but work has started only now, over six months after the plan was approved.

According to GMDA officials, they have visited several areas in the Aravalis with a team of officials from the forest department to identify dams in need of repair and the possible locations for the new dams. “As of now, we are in the process of identifying the existing dams as well as possible spots for new dams. These dams will help capture sufficient amounts of water in the Aravalis during heavy rains, saving the city from flooding,” said a senior GMDA official.

Many areas in DLF and along the Golf Course Road are located at the foothills of the Aravalis and are inundated during heavy rains. “Areas such as Nathupur and Ghata are highly susceptible to waterlogging as they are at the foothills of the Aravalis,” the official said.

This, along with insufficient drainage capacity, is also one of the reasons Golf Course Road was flooded during the heavy rains in August, taking government bodies completely by surprise as the stretch had not appeared anywhere in the critical points list that they had prepared. The government has spent crores on the drainage system in the city since the 2016 Gurujam, but the waterlogging problem in the city continues.

Under the comprehensive drainage plan, the dams will capture rainwater, which can then be released gradually, preventing waterlogging. Additionally, the metropolitan authority also plans to revive and develop green belts at the foothills so that they can absorb excess water flowing down to the city.

“We will also assess drainage areas across the city and carry out augmentation work wherever required, along with reviving water bodies in the city so that we don’t witness a rerun of what happened in August,” said the official.

Under the comprehensive drainage plan, GMDA also plans to rope in retired officers from Delhi Jal Board and the Haryana irrigation department to draft and implement solutions for Gurugram’s drainage issues.

While the short-term flood control measures will be implemented before the monsoon season next year, the long-term measures will take another two to three years for implementation.