Gurugram's Badshahpur drain: Epitome of glaring civic apathy behind waterlogging

The India Today team visited three locations along the Badshahpur Drain to assess the condition of the drainage system and understand why large parts of Gurugram struggle with severe waterlogging whenever it rains heavily.India Today team took stock of the situation at Gurugram's Badshahpur drain. (Photo: ITG)Gurugram’s recurring waterlogging problem has a major weak point — the Badshahpur Drain. An India Today ground report has found several stretches of the drain choked with garbage and accumulated silt, restricting the flow of water and raising questions over the civic authorities’ preparedness ahead of heavy rainfall.The India Today team visited three locations along the Badshahpur Drain to assess the condition of the drainage system and understand why large parts of Gurugram struggle with severe waterlogging whenever it rains heavily.TULIP CHOWKThe first stop was Tulip Chowk, where the drain appeared to be functioning relatively normally. The water could be seen moving through the channel without any major obstruction.VATIKA CHOWKHowever, the situation changed as we moved further along the drain towards Vatika Chowk. Here, large heaps of garbage and silt were visibly piled up inside the open drain. The team notices that the accumulation was restricting the movement of water, leaving little room for the drainage channel to handle any sudden increase in water levels.This becomes particularly critical during heavy rain. With the drain already carrying restricted flows, additional rainwater has limited avenues to escape. The India Today team understood that once the channel is unable to accommodate the incoming water, it can spill over onto roads and nearby areas, worsening Gurugram’s familiar waterlogging crisis.THE BIGGEST BOTTLENECKOur team then reached what appeared to be an even more serious bottleneck along the Badshahpur Drain.At this stretch, the water was almost completely stagnant. The report highlighted the severe blockage and the lack of visible signs of effective desilting, suggesting that the drainage channel is unable to maintain adequate water movement.The condition of this stretch raises concerns about the city’s ability to deal with intense rainfall.If water is already stagnant under normal conditions, a sudden downpour can quickly overwhelm the drainage network, leading to water spilling into surrounding roads and neighbourhoods.The findings point to a basic civic problem: a drainage system designed to carry away excess rainwater cannot perform effectively when key stretches remain clogged with silt and waste.Gurugram, one of Haryana’s fastest-growing urban centres, has repeatedly faced waterlogging after heavy showers.The Badshahpur Drain walkthrough suggests that inadequate maintenance and desilting could be contributing significantly to the problem.The ground reality captured by India Today therefore raises a crucial question: if the city’s key drainage channels remain obstructed, how effectively can Gurugram cope when the next spell of heavy rain arrives?- EndsPublished On: Aug 27, 2026 00:00 IST