PWD set to begin work to fix waterlogging at Delhi underpasses ahead of monsoon

The Public Works Department (PWD) is set to begin work to address recurring drainage woes at two major waterlogging hot spots in the Capital — the underpasses at Zakhira and Minto Bridge — ahead of the monsoon season.

These two sites are a cause for concern every monsoon season as they are prone to getting inundated, triggering traffic snarls, officials said.

Sharing details of the intervention proposed at Zakhira, officials said a new RCC drain will be made at the underpass, for which PWD is to hire a contractor. They said the drain will be constructed under the main carriageway after shifting various underground services from the Rama Road side.

However, this project will not be ready in time for this year’s monsoons — officials said the work will take an estimated eight months, and will cost around ₹4.7 crore.

“The new drain will be constructed on the same alignment of the existing drain after demolishing it. The larger and wider drain will have more capacity to handle water inflow during monsoon as the existing drain is too narrow. Last year we saw waterlogging despite thorough desilting. The existing drain does not have the capacity to handle heavy rainfall and sudden inflow of large volume of water,” a PWD official said, on condition of anonymity.

At Minto Bridge, PWD is working on increasing the height of the pump stations at the underpass. This spot has been synonymous with waterlogging in Delhi for decades, and officials said that not many engineering changes can be made at the spot because of the heritage bridge overhead.

Officials said that apart from the existing drainage, an alternate drainage line has been provided along Minto Road to increase the speed of the water outflow. An automated pump house has also been installed, which begins operations as soon as the water reaches a certain level.

“However, due to sudden heavy rainfall last year, two pump houses got completely submerged and were unable to function. Now, we are trying to raise the level of the pumps’ platforms so that they are not easily submerged,” the official quoted above said.

PWD has also proposed creating humps at the mouths of the underpass to reduce runoff from the road, and arranging for power backup to ensure that the pumps in case of power cuts. Another official said that the number of permanent pumps deployed at all underpasses are also being reviewed and increased.

Officials said the department has also begun creating a new pump house near Dhaula Kuan —which saw massive waterlogging last year — and at Pul Prahladpur has installed high-powered pumps which do not get blocked because of silt or garbage.

Experts said that the drainage at underpasses must be designed keeping in mind the water runoff, and must be maintained at all times.

“Underpasses are, by definition and design, supposed to be low-lying compared to other areas around it. Their drainage must be designed keeping in mind the water runoff even during heavy rainfall. The simplest thing is to keep the drains maintained, cleaned and desilted and all debris and blockage is removed so that flooding does not occur despite heavy rain,” said urban planner Jaya Dhindaw, the director of WRI India Ross Center.