79% Delhi NCR residents rate monsoon preparedness as poor: Survey

A survey found 79% of Delhi NCR residents rated their local administration's preparedness for monsoon waterlogging as poor or pathetic, with Gurugram recording the highest dissatisfaction

Nearly eight in 10 residents surveyed across Delhi NCR believe their local administration is not prepared to deal with waterlogging during the monsoon, a survey conducted by LocalCircles said on Thursday.

 

The survey found that 79 per cent of respondents rated their administration's preparedness as either "poor" or "pathetic", while none rated it "good" or "very good".

 

The survey received 11,966 responses from residents of Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad. Of the total respondents, 50 per cent described their local administration's preparedness as "pathetic" and 29 per cent rated it "poor". The remaining 21 per cent rated it "average".

 

 

Among the five cities, Gurugram recorded the highest level of dissatisfaction. As many as 92 per cent of respondents from the city rated their administration's preparedness as poor or pathetic. Delhi followed at 82 per cent, Ghaziabad at 80 per cent, Noida at 73 per cent and Faridabad at 69 per cent.

 

The survey was conducted after heavy rainfall affected several parts of Delhi NCR on July 8 and 9. 

 

According to the report, Gurugram received nearly 80 mm of rain by late afternoon on July 9 and more than 115 mm over 33 hours. An NH-48 stretch near Narsinghpur caved in during drainage pipe work, resulting in an around 8-km traffic jam between Hero Honda Chowk and Kherki Daula toll plaza. The district administration also issued a work-from-home advisory.

 

The report said repeated incidents of flooded roads, submerged underpasses and traffic disruptions continue despite annual spending on drain desilting and stormwater infrastructure. It added that the survey was conducted to understand how residents assess their local administration's preparedness for waterlogging during the current monsoon season.

 

Earlier on Thursday, heavy rain caused widespread disruption across Delhi. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Safdarjung recorded 72.6 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am, while Tukhmirpur received the highest rainfall at 160 mm.

 

Waterlogging was reported in several parts of the city, including Vikas Marg, Munirka, Sadar Bazar, Dwarka and the New Delhi railway station area. Traffic slowed on key roads, including the Delhi-Noida Expressway, while uprooted trees disrupted movement in East of Kailash. The Delhi government said teams from the Public Works Department, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Delhi Jal Board had been deployed to tackle waterlogging. The IMD has forecast more rain, thunderstorms and lightning over the next few days.