Run DG pumps daily to prep for rains: Delhi PWD

Delhi's PWD faces criticism for using diesel generators for monsoon prep amid fuel austerity measures, highlighting the need for cleaner, resilient infrastructure.

Amid the Delhi government’s proposed austerity measures to reduce fuel consumption among government departments, the Public Works Department’s (PWD’s) standard operating procedure (SOP) for monsoon preparedness, directing daily use of diesel generator sets to ensure they are in working condition, has raised eyebrows.

Run DG pumps daily to prep for rains: Delhi PWD

In the SOP, issued on May 15 and accessed by HT, the PWD said in the section on “Fuel and Power Management”, “...adequate fuel stock (minimum for 10 hours continuous running) shall be maintained for uninterrupted operation… standby generators of capacity not less than 70% of installed pump capacity shall be kept ready in case of power failure.”

There are around 80-90 diesel gensets operated by the PWD.

The document mandates regular testing of backup systems. “DG set operation shall be tested daily for 10 minutes and pump operation on DG set shall also be tested… In case of high intensity rainfall, pump operation shall be done on DG Set only,” the SOP read.

The PWD, however, defended its move saying that ensuring readiness for the monsoon, especially in terms of critical public infrastructure, remains essential. It also said DG sets are purely for precautionary backup purposes and amid the ongoing uncertainty, it has started deploying electric motor-based systems. “The effort is to strike a practical balance—being fully prepared for any emergency situation during the monsoon, while steadily reducing dependence on diesel and moving towards cleaner, long-term solutions,” it said in a statement.

Experts say relying on diesel generators as a daily backup is not a long-term solution. “While we need robust pumping to manage immediate traffic chaos, we cannot rely on diesel generators as a daily backup. In an era where we are fighting to reduce fuel imports and local pollution, we cannot simply pump our way out of a crisis with dirty energy. The real answer lies in building resilient infrastructure that prevents waterlogging at the source. For areas where infrastructure shifts take time, we must switch to cleaner power backups, because diesel isn’t just an expensive import, its a direct threat to our local air quality,” said Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst at Envirocatalysts.

The SOP, to resolve waterlogging, marked executive engineers responsible for overall supervision and monitoring, assistant engineers for deployment planning and field supervision, junior engineers for daily inspection, operation and reporting, and pump operators for safe operation. PWD has also directed that the duty roster of pump operators be displayed on a board at every pump house.

The SOP said that all dewatering pumps should be inspected before the onset of monsoon and that a trial run of each pump shall be conducted and recorded. It further directed officials to verify pump capacity, discharge efficiency, and operational condition.

“Pumps shall be operated on auto mode wherever automation has been done… monitor vibration, overheating, unusual noise, or leakage regularly and ensure that water discharge flow shall be monitored to ensure effective dewatering,” it read.

Emergency measures outlined in the SOP include deployment of standby PTO pumps “immediately” in case of pump failure. It also specifies that electrical faults should be attended only by qualified electricians and that senior officers should be informed immediately in case of major breakdown.

The SOP directs officials to ensure desilting of sumps after every spell of heavy rainfall. It also requires daily status reports during monsoon season to be submitted by the junior engineer concerned.