Delhi govt taking steps to fix water logging hot spots before monsoon: Rekha Gupta

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena and public works department (PWD) minister Parvesh Verma on Friday inspected measures being taken at drains and underpasses across the city to prevent water logging during the monsoon season.

The leaders visited the underpasses of Minto Bridge, the Ring Road drain near WHO, and Pul Prahladpur, which have been among the city’s biggest water logging hot spots every monsoon. Gupta said automated pumping systems have been installed for which there are round-the-clock on-site operators, and modern machinery will be used to desilt drains.

After inspecting Minto Bridge, Gupta said buses were submerged in the water logged underpass in previous monsoons. “Last year even the water pump was submerged and the operator could not access it. This time we are undertaking well-planned and timely preparations so that such situations never recur. Several tankers have already released water at the site to test the system’s functionality,” Gupta said.

The pumping station is linked to a fully automated system which will turn on the pumps when water reaches a certain level, eliminating the need for manual activation. Operators will remain on-site 24x7 to ensure there is no stagnant water. A 2.5km-long pipeline has been laid to directly carry water to the discharge point, Gupta said.

Criticising the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, Gupta said, “They never paid serious attention to major drains in Delhi. No concrete steps were taken for timely desilting or regular maintenance. Our government is now removing thousands of tonnes of silt from the drains. Many machines are working non-stop.”

PWD minister Parvesh Verma said all departments have been asked to coordinate efforts to reduce water logging and traffic hot spots with a slew of permanent and temporary measures.

“Our objective is to ensure that no part of the Capital experiences water logging, traffic jams, or dark spots. We’ve instructed all departments to complete their tasks within set timelines, with meticulous monitoring at every step. Even in areas where drain construction is ongoing, we’re deploying pump sets and alternative arrangements to not inconvenience residents,” said Verma.

Gupta added that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), PWD and I&FC are collaborating to eliminate water logging. She said that departments will be held responsible for any lapse in preparation for monsoon related works. “The silt being removed today is the accumulation of 10–12 years of neglect when no meaningful work was done. Now, each drain is undergoing systematic cleaning with utmost promptness,” Gupta said.

During the inspection Gupta was not satisfied with the progress of the desilting work of the drain near Tilak Bridge and the concerned officials were instructed to take immediate and effective action to address the issue.

At the Minto Bridge underpass, PWD has taken steps such as providing alternative drainage line along Minto Road, CCTV monitoring by PWD control room, monitoring by field officers, loud water level alarm system to alert pump operators, automation of pump house to automatically start pumps, SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition )-based monitoring of operation of pumps and mechanised cleaning of drain screens.

At Pul Prahladpur, PWD started CCTV monitoring by all agencies, automation of pump houses and laying of additional discharge pipelines. An underground sump of 750,000 litres capacity was created and a pump house with pumping capacity of 600hp (horsepower) was also made.

“This will ensure that the water collected is quickly moved to the sump from where it is slowly discharged. Pul Prahladpur has also now seen a few rain spells without water logging but was a hot spot last year,” a PWD official said.

At the Ring Road, opposite WHO building, water logging was controlled by raising the saucer-shaped carriageway by 350-450mm two years ago. Additionally, a 650-metre-long drainage line was created to dispose of storm water directly to the Yamuna. A sump with capacity of 500,000 litres was also created for quick discharge and backup pumping arrangements are also in place.