Most rainwater harvesting systems have remained defunct for years due to neglect and a lack of maintenance
Gurgaon: With monsoon round the corner, residents of Sector 40 have raised concerns over defunct rainwater harvesting systems and lack of stormwater drainage network, flagging the risk of waterlogging.Residents said most rainwater harvesting structures across the sector remained non-functional for years due to neglect and lack of maintenance. Around 10 rainwater harvesting systems were installed in parks and community centre, and many are now clogged or abandoned.Abhimanyu Yadav, RWA president of Sector 40, said complaints to the civic body yielded little response. “The monsoon is just a few months away, but there has been no effort to revive the rainwater harvesting systems.
Most of them are either blocked or completely defunct as they were never maintained,” he said.“Some repairs were taken up last year, but the work was left incomplete. For harvesting to be effective, the recharge pits need to be deep, around 190-200 feet, but it is not functional,” he said.Residents said a large rainwater harvesting setup near the community centre is also lying unused. Even light rainfall leads to waterlogging in internal lanes, residents said, adding that unless rainwater harvesting systems and drainage infrastructure are repaired, the sector could face waterlogging during monsoon.
“There is no proper stormwater drainage in the sector. Water accumulates quickly during rains and takes hours to recede,” said Virender Yadav, RWA joint secretary.An MCG official said repair work has now been planned. “We have allotted the work for restoration of the rainwater harvesting system across the city. The work, including increasing the depth of borewells and repairs wherever required, will be taken up. We are targeting completion by the end of May,” the official said.
