News: Shrunken Ponds, Faulty Harvesting Pits Blamed for Flooding-09-08-2026
Residents of sectors 40 and 9 have blamed poor storm-water drainage, non-functional rainwater harvesting (RWH) structures and neglected ponds for the heavy waterlogging after last week’s rain.
Sector 40 was badly flooded on August 6 and August 7, leaving large potholes and broken-down vehicles. Abhimanyu Yadav, president, sector 40 RWA, said the Jharsa pond sits higher than the roads, its catchment is encroached and its area has shrunk to one acre with a large park around it, while the drains were choked. Residents alleged the eight RWH structures in the sector’s parks did not work.
Sandeep Dundwal, executive engineer, MCG, said steps are being taken to channel storm water into the pond. Digging two acres of the park to expand it has been proposed, and the RWH structures will be checked.
An HT spotcheck on Thursday found the 100-year-old pond higher than the road, with encroachments in the adjoining park and buffaloes being reared there.
In Sector 9, there was heavy waterlogging near the seven-eight-acre Basai pond although more than half of it stayed empty. RWA president Inderjit Chauhan said several drains were encroached and that drainage, working RWH structures and diversion of water to the pond were urgently needed. Some drainage work has started, he added.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the NorthCap University automatic weather station recorded 57 mm up to 8.30 am on Thursday and 96.5 mm between 8.30 am on Friday and 8.30 am on Saturday.
Gurugram-based environmentalist Vivek Kamboj said parks built around ponds block natural inlet channels and called for urgent revival.
Vishwajeet Chaudhary, additional CEO, GMDA, said the authority will examine both ponds and that the focus will now be on reviving ponds and building better RWH structures. Earlier this month, GMDA CEO PC Meena told HT that three of five announced pilot RWH structures were complete and that new ones would be aligned with aquifers identified on a Geological Survey of India map.
