Seven spots in Delhi severely waterlogged, pumps in place: PWD

Officials said that the current spells of rain were not seasonal and that the areas were waterlogged as monsoon preparations were still underway

At least seven areas in the city were severely waterlogged during the rain this week, said officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) on Wednesday, adding that temporary pumps have been placed for now in these areas.

A commuter wades through a waterlogged stretch at Pandav Nagar underpass following heavy rains in New Delhi. (Raj K Raj/HT)

However, officials said that the current spells of rain the city received were not seasonal and that the areas were waterlogged as monsoon preparations were still underway.

Officials said that four of the seven areas from where the department received the most complaints were reviewed by PWD minister Atishi on Monday. Besides Timarpur Police Station Road, New Rajdhani Nagar, Rajdhani Park Metro station, and the stretch under Zakhira flyover highlighted during the review, officials found that Shalimar Palace-Kaushik Enclave in Burari, the stretch under Dhaula Kuan flyover and Aurbindo Marg-Adhchini road were also continuously waterlogged between Monday and Wednesday.

Officials said that most of these spots saw waterlogging as monsoon preparations were still underway across the city. Since Monday, the national capital has received 31.5mm of rainfall.

Apart from these seven spots, PWD has also identified 29 smaller points across the city where waterlogging complaints were logged. It includes 13 points where waterlogging was high, seven points where waterlogging levels were medium, and nine where it was low. Most of these spots were located in parts of Badli, Bawana, Burari, Dwarka, Janakpuri, Laxmi Nagar, Madipur, Malviya Nagar, Okhla, Patel Nagar, Rithala, Jangpura, Shalimar Bagh and Chandni Chowk.

Last month, PWD and urban development ministers conducted a joint meeting of all civic bodies across Delhi, wherein PWD was appointed as the nodal agency to handle waterlogging complaints and to ensure that all departments are completing their assigned work within the scheduled deadlines. Additionally, a waterlogging helpline number was also announced for complaints from residents.

PWD already has a centralised control room where waterlogging hot spots are monitored round the clock through CCTVs. During the meeting, the agency also announced that over 1,000 permanent pumps will be installed across Delhi, and mobile pumps will be on standby for emergencies.

After the monsoon last year, Delhi Traffic Police circulated a list of 207 waterlogging points, of which 131 pertain to PWD. Officials said that executive engineers have been designated as responsible officers for all these smaller locations.

A few days ago, the PWD dropped the road under Minto Bridge — a spot infamous for being a trap for buses during heavy rain — from its list of waterlogging hot spots in the Capital. PWD declares an area a waterlogging hot spot if it gets inundated during five consecutive spells of rain.

PWD has earmarked seven waterlogging hotspots that will be monitored round the clock for the next three months through CCTVs. The hot spots on PWD’s watchlist are New Rohtak Road-Anand Parbat and Adhchini that have been added this year, along with Pul Prahladpur underpass, under Zakhira Flyover, Loni Road roundabout, Jahangirpuri Metro station road and Karala Kanjhawala Road.