Why does Gurgaon Drown During the Monsoon Season?

Bar-Headed Geese keep returning to the Basai Wetland even though the Basai Wetland is no longer a wetland; rather, it is more of a scrubland waiting for the developer's excavator to dig out the basement of a large building.

 

Many years ago, when I migrated to India for further studies, my grandmother used to hire a rickshaw to take us around Gurgaon. On our rounds, we spotted bunds and streams that crisscrossed the hamlet. Today, of all those British-era bunds, only a handful remain! On doing some research, I came to know that Gurgaon had many British-era bunds or check dams, designed to control floods and manage water overflow. Unfortunately, of the  63 bunds, only three remain! 

 The purpose of the British era bunds was to control and channel seasonal floods and hold rainwater to prevent it from flooding residential areas. I guess the British town planners were more intelligent than our present town planners! The true purpose of these British-era bunds or check dams was to recharge groundwater tables and to support water bodies that no longer exist! Urbanization and encroachment have resulted in the destruction of these carefully planned bunds! Gurgaon is a prime example of the tragedy of unplanned development, rampant encroachment, and a lack of initiative among its stakeholders. The lure of "good money" from developers and real estate giants has won over considerations associated with the need to conserve the ecology and the environment.

I have noticed the deterioration of wetlands in Gurgaon, especially the Basai Wetland, which no longer exists! The Basai Wetland was once an important biodiversity hotspot. It was once the favoured resting point for Bar-headed Geese and other migratory birds. Today, it is sprouting high-rises, a flyover, and barricades that promise "good living" to investors in real estate. At first, the wetland was flooded with sewage, then they sold off the ponds to investors who wanted to grow the deadly  catfish, and then they claimed that the Basai Wetland was not a wetland! Then they developed a construction waste-disposal plant.

It is said that rainwater channels can never be dismissed as they follow their origins irrespective of efforts to cover them up! Gurgaon is drowning today because we have covered all these rainwater channels due to our greed to convert them into spaces for building high-rises. 

Another tragedy that has taken place in Gurgaon is the draining of wetlands. One prime example of a victim of real estate development is the Basai Wetland. What was once home to a large number of migratory birds and endemic species of mollusks,  fish is now a dry land waiting for multiplexes to sprout. The Damdama Lake was once a vibrant water body, fed by rainwater runoff from the surrounding Aravali mountains. Today, those rainwater channels have disappeared, thanks to rampant development taking place all around the lake and catchment areas.

The reason why Gurgaon drowns during the monsoon season is that we have destroyed the city's wetlands, filled up the rainwater channels, and damaged the bunds that had been strategically placed and built concrete towers, and paved roads that prevent the soil from soaking up the excess surface water.