Monsoon Woes: Is Faridabad Ready To Be A Smart City?

Wide roads, well-maintained infrastructure, best-in-class drainage facility and a neighbourhood which makes lifestyle convenient -- these are some of the features a smart city should boast. But, in case of Faridabad, listed to be developed as a smart city, none of these features are upto the mark. This industrial town of Haryana that boasts some of the best housing colonies in the National Capital Region at affordable prices, becomes a nightmare for many with the first spell of rain.

The problem

It was in the last week of June when the first spell of monsoon rain hit the NCR. The heavy lash of rain waterlogged key roads within the city and all routes that connect it to the national capital. The NHPC Chowk, the Greenfield Colony and the NIT Road were some of the areas where several cars and two-wheelers broke down on the waterlogged roads, bringing the traffic on roads to a standstill. The non-functioning traffic signals and mismanagement of the basic facilities made things worse.

Greenfield Colony was one of the most affected areas. Here residents faced huge discomfort while commuting to the main areas of Faridabad. While residents have been demanding better drainage and sewers to avert the water clogging situation as the rain pours, the current situation shows how much has been put into practice.

Another instance is of the underpass near the NHPC Chowk which was cut off from Greenfield due to flooding. This happens every year. The residents who need to access the main road, face huge problems on foot as well as those using vehicles. App-based cab services like Ola and Uber start charging higher for traveling to these areas due to flooded roads and traffic snarls.

To bring to the attention of the local civic authorities the menace faced, Aditi Madan, one of the local residents of the Faridabad has recently started an online campaign at Charge.org to file a petition against the current situation of the area. The petition being circulated states, “Can our votes, as well as taxes, be better utilised through proper water management by harvesting surplus rainwater in order to provide residents of Greenfield water during summer months?”

The causes

Apart from the delay in taking measure by the civic authorities, the city architects are blaming local residents as well as the planning committee for not addressing the problem of water logging and poor condition or roads. Lack of storm water drainage system and no provision of underground percolation are some of the reasons behind Faridabad's monsoon menace. Other than this, the engineers are of the view that residents usually encroach the roads and leave no space for water to percolate causing water logging.

This makes proper drainage system a need of the hour. Moreover, poor quality of roads can also be checked by ensuring the contractors complete the maintenance jobs on time.

Though the monsoon has not yet fully arrived, Faridabad's unpreparedness is out in open. It would be only a matter of wait and watch that how civic authorities will be taking care of the situation.