92% of Gurugram residents rate monsoon prep as 'poor' or 'pathetic'

The monsoon arrived in Delhi-NCR, and so did the gridlock. Gurugram recorded nearly 80 mm of rain by late afternoon on July 8, with a total of over 115 mm falling within a 33-hour window. The drainage systems failed almost immediately. Arterial roads, underpasses, and residential colonies flooded. Commuters sat in endless queues. A stretch of National Highway-48 collapsed near Narsinghpur, in an area where new drainage pipes were being laid. That collapse triggered an 8-km traffic jam between Hero Honda Chowk and the Kherki Daula toll plaza.

A survey by LocalCircles, which collected over 11,000 responses from validated citizens across the region (69% men, 31% women), put a number on the frustration. 92% of Gurugram residents rated their local administration's waterlogging preparedness as 'poor' or 'pathetic'. Not a single respondent in the 11,000-plus pool rated the administration's preparedness as 'good' or 'very good'.

Gurugram was the worst-rated municipality in the National Capital Region. Delhi followed at 82%, Ghaziabad at 80%, Noida at 73%, and Faridabad at 69%. Across the entire NCR, 79% of surveyed residents gave a poor or worse rating. 50% chose 'pathetic'.