JOIN USRain catches civic agencies off guard
It’s a promise that civic agencies in the city make every year. However, waterlogging across the city on Monday morning exposed the tall claims of their pre-monsoon preparations.
Even as the roads — both arterial and colony ones — remained waterlogged for hours, resulting in traffic jams, both municipal corporations and the public works department (PWD) claimed they had completed desiltation of drains and are ready with all other arrangements to fight emergency situations.
While the corporations claim they have completed desilting of drains under their jurisdiction by June 15, the control room of the three municipal agencies received several complaints of waterlogging from colonies.
According to a statement released by the three municipal corporations, waterlogging was reported from 71 areas under South Corporation, 52 under North Corporation and 22 in east Delhi.
The issue was also raised in the standing committee meeting of the North Corporation, where officials blamed the PWD for waterlogging.
“Desilting of internal drains has been completed, but at intersections where internals drains fall into bigger drains, there are problems. Of 157 vulnerable points, only eight are in North Corporation. Pictures of the bottlenecks were also sent to PWD officials for remedial measures,” said North Corporation commissioner P K Gupta.
PWD officials replied that they have completed the first operation of desilting of all roads by June 15.
“There are over 900 roads spread over 1,256 km. Removal of sludge from drains is in progress at some locations, and is targeted to be completed within the next two-three days. All senior officials and engineering staff of the PWD have been instructed to independently take rounds for maintenance of all roads,” said a senior PWD official.
The officials, however, said that approximately, 40 per cent of these drains also get sewage from colonies, hence the need for continuous desilting. The PWD has also deployed 72 maintenance vans covering all parts of Delhi to meet any contingency.
While PWD officials claimed they have desilted all roads, waterlogging was reported from major arterial roads like Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Mathura Road, Bhairon Marg, Mahipalpur Chowk towards Mehrauli, Dwarka underpass, Airport Road, Station Road in south Delhi, Moti Bagh, Brar Square, Dhaula Kuan, Azadpur and Model Town on Ring Road, Uttam Nagar and Paschim Vihar flyover in west Delhi, Burari and Nathurpura in north Delhi, and Pandav Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Vikas Marg and Mother Dairy in east
Delhi.
DH News Service