Delhi drains need design change, says CM Kejriwal at review meeting

Drains in Delhi will have to undergo design changes in accordance with suggestions of an expert team from IIT-Delhi to ensure smooth flow of water during and after heavy rains, said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after chairing a review meeting on Delhi Drainage Masterplan on Tuesday

Drains in Delhi will have to undergo design changes in accordance with suggestions of an expert team from IIT-Delhi to ensure smooth flow of water during and after heavy rains, said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after chairing a review meeting on Delhi Drainage Masterplan on Tuesday.

A man pushes his scooter on a waterlogged road during heavy rain at Timarpur in New Delhi on July 29. (HT file photo)

“Today CM Arvind Kejriwal chaired a review meeting on Delhi’s drainage masterplan. Design changes will be introduced in drains in accordance with recommendations of IIT. The focus will be to enable smooth flow of water during and after heavy rains. Waterlogging issues be resolved,” said a tweet from the CM’s office after the meeting.

The meeting was attended by water minister Satyendar Jain, vice-chairperson of Delhi Jal Board Raghav Chadha and chief secretary Vijay Dev.

Citing presentations made during the meeting, a senior government official who attended the meeting said, “The problems were broadly summarised as stormwater drains being used for sewage; most of these stormwater drains not letting water flow freely because they are blocked with waste; Network of streams, natural and seasonal water bodies, and urban stormwater channels have either disappeared, encroached or blocked severely with waste; Delhi’s groundwater recharging area reducing drastically; and engineering flaws in current models.”

The review meeting was held three days after the national Capital was brought to its knees by six hours of rainfall, throwing traffic into disarray and inundating several key stretches and underpasses, exposing how badly it needs a comprehensive drainage plan as well as one to ensure that local drains are cleaned ahead of monsoon.

On July 19,Kejriwal announced that the Delhi administration will redesign the city’s drainage system and identify waterlogging hot spots so that area-specific interventions can be made to ensure smooth flow of traffic. The announcement came the day a man drowned in the submerged Pul Prahladpur underpass -- one of the perennial problem points -- and at least 39 key road stretches were flooded after heavy rain.

The last drainage master plan was drafted by the Delhi administration in 1976. To be sure, Delhi was administered by a metropolitan council between 1966 and 1990. In 2016, the Delhi government commissioned a study of the city’s drainage system by IIT-Delhi. Following the study, a drainage master plan was compiled which also pointed out that the city had no single agency to manage and maintain drainage. However, the plan could not be implemented.