Gurgaon: Every spell of heavy rain brings the same crisis to Civil Hospital in Sector 10. The basement floods, pumps are switched on, staff work in damp conditions, and patients face disruptions. Even after a Rs 1.2-crore renovation last year, officials say the flooding persists because of an ageing building and an external sewer network that backflows during heavy rain.The hospital’s basement was inundated again on Thursday, with stagnant water spread across the floor and housekeeping equipment placed nearby as staff tried to keep the area functional. Waterlogging also spread to parts of the premises, including the parking area, where vehicles stood in muddy water.Hospital officials told TOI that the internal sewer network has been cleaned and repaired, and pumps have been deployed, but heavy rain still causes sewage from the main external line to flow back into the campus because the outfall gets submerged.“The external sewer belongs to HSVP and GMDA, so it is beyond our control,” PWD executive engineer Vivek Gupta told TOI.As a longer-term fix, the hospital has commissioned a survey for a sewage treatment plant (STP) within the campus. The survey, expected within 10 to 15 days, will determine the treatment capacity needed before the project is designed. Gupta acknowledged, however, that an STP alone may not resolve the flooding if the external sewer network keeps overflowing during heavy rainfall.The problem is compounded by the building itself. Handed over by HSVP in 2012, it has structural defects that let rainwater seep through walls and tile joints — a flaw flagged by PWD in a recent inspection. “The basement was originally meant for several hospital functions, but because of recurring seepage, only the research wing now operates from there. We have carried out concreting and waterproofing work several times, but the problem persists because it is linked to the structure itself,” a senior doctor said.To manage the immediate crisis, the hospital has installed a permanent pump that continuously discharges accumulated basement water into the stormwater drain through the monsoon, with additional pumps deployed in recent days. Staff say the space is barely workable in the rains. “There is hardly any ventilation and the dampness makes it worse. Whenever water seeps in, a foul smell lingers for days,” a staff member said, requesting anonymity.Officials said extensive structural repairs to the basement can only begin once the new 100-bed hospital block becomes operational, freeing operation theatres and other critical units to shift out of the existing building. That block was sanctioned in 2020, but construction stalled after the design was altered midway from four to five floors without matching financial approval, leaving the building incomplete and permanent repairs on hold. The Sector 10 hospital handles around 3,000 OPD patients a day.
