Enough of Gurugram as Potemkin village

Steel-and-glass offices, corporate hubs, and nearly half the country's stock of luxury homes have made Gurugram a real estate hotspot. Yet, a modest-to-heavy downpour can turn Delhi's 'hi-tech' satellite city into a low-tech Potemkin gram, where the glossy facade conceals creaking infrastructure. Over-concretisation, poor planning and even poorer upkeep of drains and public spaces are partly responsible. Better maintenance is crucial. But it needs more to tackle the seasonal urban flooding that everyone groans about, and then glosses over each time it subsides.

Climate change has brought days of concentrated and extreme rainfall that can exceed a month's average in a single day. Alongside well-maintained drainage systems, cities need more green and blue infrastructure - rain gardens, bioswales and urban forests, alongside water bodies and systems such as wetlands, ponds and restored streams - to absorb, store and slow down excess rainwater, preventing roads from becoming rivers and streams.

Also read: Gurgaon WFH advisory: Gurugram administration advises work from home on August 25 for schools & offices after heavy rain


Ecosystem restoration is also key to building fit-for-purpose urban infrastructure. Clearing encroachments and reviving natural streams, bunds and traditional water bodies can give urban landscapes additional water-carrying capacity. Our cities need to be retrofitted if they want to be fitting for the future. Urban infrastructure, including stormwater drains, must be designed and upgraded using modern projections of high-intensity rainfall, rather than outdated historical averages.

Zoning and land-use policies should mandate permeable areas, while municipal authorities deliver on basic, essential tasks of maintenance. Luxury high-rise clusters with names like Ambience Caitriona, Camellias and Magnolias can keep up appearances only that much.