Gurugram’s recurring monsoon chaos is no longer simply a problem of waterlogging; it is a symptom of a deeper governance and civic failure, with residents and authorities repeatedly ignoring problems that could be addressed through basic urban planning.
The city’s flooding, clogged drains, illegal construction and poor civic infrastructure have exposed the gap between India’s ambitions as a modern economy and the reality of its urban centres.
The Federal spoke to author and columnist Sohail Seth about Gurugram’s worsening civic crisis, and in his trademark no-holds-barred style, he lashed out at the government as well as the people for their irresponsible behaviour, and offered solutions he believes can make the city more liveable.
Edited excerpts:
What has changed in Gurugram after years of raising these concerns?
Nothing. Nothing has changed. And that is my issue.
Who is actually bearing the brunt of Gurugram’s flooding?
Some on Twitter (X) say the rich are feeling the pinch. Actually, the rich are not feeling the pinch. The rich are in urban ghettos in Gurgaon.
Also read: Delhi rain disrupts flights, triggers severe waterlogging and traffic jams
The people who are feeling the pinch are people like us, the middle class, or people who are less privileged. Why? Their homes get flooded, they get submerged. They are the ones walking on foot. They are the ones who fall into manholes. They are the ones who get electrocuted.
You saw what happened with those five buses with stranded children. That is what happens.
How much of the problem is also caused by citizens?
Look at Pahadi Rasta, which is a connector between MG Road and Gurugram. It is always littered with garbage. People, meaning residents of Gurugram, come there and throw their stuff in the dark of the night.
Would you blame the government? No. But yes, the government can penalise. We have CCTV for everything.
Why does poor civic infrastructure affect businesses?
Suppose you are the head of Coca-Cola in Gurgaon and Atlanta calls you saying, “How is it going, how is everything?”
And you say, sir, we only had 20 per cent attendance.
Why? Oh, the city is flooded.
People like to invest in cities that are liveable. People like to invest in cities that offer you a certain basic infrastructure.
Why does the administration appear unprepared for the monsoon every year?
For 4,000 years, unbroken, the monsoon has been coming at the same time. But there is no preparatory work. We have a reasonably great IMD (India Meteorological Department). Do they not watch the weather reports and the predictions?
Also read: Delhi crosses August rain average in first 8 days
The day before yesterday, when this waterlogging happened, the DC Gurugram said at 5.30 pm there will be waterlogging today, work from home is advised.
The waterlogging happened at 11 am. The buses were stranded between 1.30 pm and 5.30 pm.
Yesterday, they sent a tweet saying buses should avoid waterlogged roads.
The old and the aged and sometimes medically unfit are going to hospitals day in and day out. What are you going to tell them?
Is the responsibility limited to the government?
Licences are still being given for illegal buildings. Encroachments are still happening.
Now, who encroaches? People like you and me. We encroach on the roads of Gurgaon. We build our private gardens on public streets.
So, the citizen is equally to blame. It is unfair to say only the government or only the bureaucrat. The citizen is equally apathetic.
What is your criticism of Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh?
We do not see him in Gurugram. Apparently, there is a fight going on between him and the Haryana people.
That man has the impunity and the audacity to say that this is because of the Yamuna from the hills.
What can be done to solve Gurugram’s flooding crisis?
I have four solutions to offer.
Solution number one, we need storm drains. We need to revive the ponds that existed in Gurgaon.
We had 1,700 functioning ponds. They dwindled down to about 200. Even fewer if you look at their functionality. These water bodies become the catchment area for excessive water.
Number two, we must desilt our drains. Our drains are choking.
Also read: Heavy rain batters Delhi, waterlogging on major roads irks commuters
You also have a backflush of sewage. There is no one looking at that because the builder lobby is so powerful.
We are sanctioning high-rises without three things in place: parking, sewage and drainage.
Number three, you have got to create better road infrastructure.
Today, your pavements are clogged with hawkers and I do not blame the hawkers. They need to earn a living.
Every liveable smart city in the world has created food streets which have no mobility, meaning no vehicles, and you go there.
In New York, you see New York closes Sixth Avenue every Saturday and Sunday, more often than not, for food streets.
The fourth, which is very, very critical, is you must have demonstrable punishment by raising illegal buildings to the ground.
Can India’s engineering talent solve these urban problems?
We have brilliant people in our country. We have great architects. We have great landscape designers. We have outstanding people, but they are never used.
Because there is another curse hanging over India. It is the curse of the lowest tender, which also means abysmal quality.
Also read: Flood here, drought there: A tale of two Indias in monsoon
You look at Parliament, what is its condition? There are more leaks in Parliament than you can ever imagine.
Now tell me, will no one be put to shame or taken to task?
Why not? It is public money.
Apparently, the waste-management contract and the garbage-removal contract in Gurugram was given to a company which is owned by the nephew of a Union minister who had links with Gurugram.
Why does the government continue to allow this?
The people who are doing this are causing grave damage to the BJP.
Is Gurugram’s crisis part of a wider urban failure?
See what has happened to Bengaluru. See what has happened to our hill stations. It is a mess.
You have idiots driving their ridiculous cars into lakes in Ladakh, into beaches in Goa. So, we are to blame.
Also read: India’s cities are drowning in a crisis of governance, not rains
It is fine for me to say the chief minister is not doing his job. But we are equally responsible as citizens.
We are the ones who will break the law when it is convenient for us and then we will crib.
What does India’s civic sense say about the country we want to become?
India is the only country in the world where a man can step over a dead body on his way to a yoga class, take a selfie with a cow blocking a six-lane highway, complain about corruption while bribing a traffic cop and then write a LinkedIn post about how India will be the next superpower.
All of this before breakfast and see nothing ironic about it.
This is us.
We have lost civic sense.