Heavy rain floods Delhi-Gurgaon border, causes traffic chaos

GURGAON: Overnight rain in NCR left the Delhi-Gurgaon border at Kapashera submerged once again on Thursday, bringing traffic to a crawl for hundreds of officegoers and marooning residents living in its vicinity.
Though flooding is far from a new occurrence on the stretch, civic authorities have done little to resolve the problem. The city recorded just 7mm of rainfall till Thusday evening.
There's no proper drainage system in place and adjoining roads are at higher elevation, because of which runoff from Kapashera in Delhi, and Dundahera in Gurgaon flows downstream, turning the border stretch into a waterlogged mess.
The situation worsens during monsoon, as the portion gets flooded after every bout of rain and makes it difficult for motorists to cross the cities.
The Old Delhi-Gurgaon Road is key to get to Udyog Vihar, where scores of businesses and companies employ thousands. Commuters who take the route said that they had to navigate waterlogging, with little idea of damaged sections of the road.
Inter-city buses, which are the only public transport available for commuters in the area, also stopped at the border and asked passengers to walk through the waterlogged roads.
"The road conditions are terrible. It's difficult to gauge the depth of water. I almost lost my balance because of the uneven surface. You can't see what's beneath the water, and that makes it very dangerous," said Anil Arora, who travels on his motorcycle from Delhi's Dwarka to Udyog Vihar for work.
Residents of Surya Vihar, on the Gurgaon side of the border, said stepping out of the society becomes a challenge every time it rains.
"Since traffic police closed the cut in front of our society, we have to take a U-turn at the toll plaza. The depression at the border makes it worse, and my car's undercarriage scrapes against the uneven road surface. Waterlogging just adds to the problem," said Vishva Sharma, a Surya Vihar resident.
Two years ago, GMDA approved a revamp plan for a 1km stretch from the Hanuman Chowk to the Delhi border. The plan, which included construction of a drain- footpath, was supposed to resolve the area's chronic waterlogging problem but the Rs 4 crore project never materialised.
"Water from all sides of the road gathers at the border, right in front of our society. It takes days to clear out," said Rajesh Gera, president of the Surya Vihar RWA. He added: "There is no proper mechanism for rainwater disposal, and the only drain that exists belongs to the Delhi govt but falls on the Gurgaon side. Even that drain is blocked, and neither side wants to take responsibility for cleaning it. I have raised this issue multiple times, but civic authorities of both govts keep passing the buck. GMDA's plan for drainage improvement has been stuck in limbo for years too."
Last year, a surface drain was built on the Udyog Vihar road, which connects Sirhaul to Kapashera border, but water from it overflows as it isn't linked to a stormwater channel.
Meena, who works at a factory in Udyog Vihar-2, had to wade through the flooded stretch on Thursday.
"Those in cars are at least spared from walking in dirty water. We navigate pavements and central verges just to cross the stretch. And taking a leave from work isn't an option for us," she said.
GMDA (infra-1) chief engineer Arun Dhankar did not respond to multiple requests for comment till Thursday night.