Ghaziabad: Flooding has become increasingly common in the city over the past few years, posing a recurring challenge for Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation. As part of a long-term mitigation plan, the corporation has set aside a budget of Rs 285 crore for revamping three major drains.The first drain to be upgraded is the Shahberi drain, which is 1.72 km long and 11 metres wide. It records a discharge of 6,524 MLD and has a catchment area of 21 square kilometres. It caters to areas such as Pratap Vihar, the GT Road industrial area, and Crossings Republik. The drain runs from NH-9, over the Delhi-Howrah railway line, to the Shahberi culvert via CR Township. It is expected to protect 21 wards and a population of over 4 lakh from annual flooding, including waterlogging on NH-9. “The catchment area of this drain covers about 6% of the city, so the revamp of this drain becomes critical,” a GMC official said. “Rs 132 crore has been set aside for this revamp.”The second drain, measuring 3 km, runs from the RDC flyover to Vivekanand Nagar. It bypasses flood-prone urban areas such as Kavi Nagar and Shastri Nagar and has a catchment area of 7 sqkm. Its upgrade is expected to benefit six wards and nearly 1 lakh residents. “The discharge of this drain is 4,320 MLD. This drain will be upgraded for Rs 84 crore,” the official said.The third drain, stretching 3.3 km from Morta to RNE, will also be upgraded as part of the project. It caters to a population of about 1 lakh across six wards and has a catchment area of about 10 sqkm, but the population in the area is set to grow, and so the drain will be upgraded for Rs 69 crore.The drain revamp work is part of GMC’s master plan on flood control and stormwater management as directed by the state govt. “The state govt sanctioned Rs 750 crore last year to improve the drainage systems in five municipalities — Ghaziabad, Mathura, Meerut, Shahjahanpur and Lucknow. The stop-gap arrangement employed by GMC before the onset of each monsoon serves a limited purpose, but a master plan on urban flood control and stormwater management will serve as a template to deal with the issue and also help draw a long-term strategy,” said the official.There is a sewer network of 2,000 km in the city, and the city has over 555 major, medium and small-size drains.
