JOIN USThree weeks into the monsoon season, Delhi Traffic Police claim that they are better prepared this time than previous years to tackle the problem of traffic congestion due to waterlogging of roads.
This time every year, lack of regular desilting makes flooded drains overflow on to the roads, shrinking space for vehicles and causing traffic jams.
In anticipation, Delhi Police had prepared a list spots in the city which are prone to waterlogging and shared it with all the road-owning agencies two months back.
“We had identified 163 such points and had sent the list to all the road-owning agencies in May itself,” says Sandeep Goel, Special Commissioner (Traffic).
In the middle of the monsoon now, Delhi Traffic police are analysing the list and comparing it with the actual ground situation.
“We are checking how many of the identified spots have experienced waterlogging and also those new spots which were not in the list. We are stationing our personnel accordingly. Follow-up letters have also been going to the concerned authorities in this regard,” says Goel.
Delhi Traffic Police, however, can only identify the problem spots and deploy traffic cops there to manage the traffic but the real task to stem the problem lies with the road-owning agencies like the government Public Works Department, New Delhi Municipal Council and municipal corporations, say traffic officers.
“Our job is to manage and redirect traffic to ensure smooth flow. However, when we see visible causes of waterlogging, such as a jammed drain or potholes, we do point out the suspect cause to the concerned agency. But we do not have the technical expertise to point out the faults in road design which might be the underlying reason for poor drainage,” says Goel.
“So, it’s very important that the concerned agencies do take note of our concerns and rectify the problem at the earliest, especially in the rainy season,” he adds.
Delhi Traffic Police say they are ensuring this year that there are enough personnel on the road to tackle monsoon-related problems.
“In case there is a traffic snarl due to rains, we will ensure that there are adequate traffic policemen to man the situation and ensure smooth traffic movement in the rain-hit areas. Even to tackle other rain-related incidents such as fallen trees, we have quick reaction vehicles at our disposal,” Goel says.
Every traffic policeman has been provided with a raincoat with instructions it should be kept handy.
“The idea is to ensure traffic police presence on roads even in case of a heavy downpour. We have told them to keep their water-proof gear at their disposal all the time,” says Goel.
According to officials, the number of traffic complaints sees a significant spike during the monsoon season. There are problems like potholes, uprooted trees and waterlogging, which lead to slowdown of traffic.
Delhi Traffic Police have opened up multiple channels of interaction with people. Apart from the two helpline numbers – 1095 and 25844444 – where citizens can call and inform about the traffic situation, police also update traffic scene of the city through their Twitter handle on a regular basis.
“Whenever we spot a traffic bottleneck we try to find out the cause of it. If the reason is because of a problem on the road, we immediately inform the concerned agency to rectify the issue,” says Goel.
Faulty traffic signals are one of the common problems which people complain about, especially in the rainy season. While many of these signals develop faults due to the rain, power supply problems are also a cause. Traffic officials claim they have ensured that all glitches-prone signals have been replaced and if faults still occur they will be quickly repaired.
“Sometimes we also deliberately shut off the traffic lights during rain as they hamper the flow of traffic,” says Goel.
Two-wheeler hazard
According to senior traffic officers, two-wheeler riders have become a major headache for the traffic cops during rainy season as they tend to stop their vehicles on the roadside and take shelter under flyovers or foot over-bridges to protect themselves from getting drenched.
“These two-wheeler drivers create another type of congestion when their motorcycles block the roads. They also stand under a bridge, creating a group which slows down the vehicular movement,” says Goel.
“I appeal to motorcycle riders to please use public transport during the monsoon season, or when there is a possibility of rain,” he adds.