The never-ending issue of flooding in underpasses rears its head again
A range of issues like the lack of timely and proper desilting, clearing of drains, and dated infrastructure contribute to the flooding
While the monsoon rains are a welcome relief after humid days, inundated underpasses remain a recurring nightmare that plagues commuters in Delhi and the National Capital Region — a problem that points to layered negligence and apathy on the part of civic authorities in these cities.
This monsoon too, Delhi and Gurugram have grappled with intense traffic woes marred by dysfunctional underpasses which have often turned deadly. A range of issues like the lack of timely and proper desilting, clearing of drains, and dated infrastructure contribute to the flooding. The situation has prevailed despite civic agencies claiming that most of the desilting and cleaning of drains in Delhi was 90% done by the end of June and completed by mid-July.
On Friday, five underpasses were closed in the Capital for 1-4 hours. Two of the worst-affected areas were the Minto Bridge and Azadpur underpasses.In most areas, the flooding in underpasses has been due to blocked drains, preventing water from seeping in quickly.
“Two of our pumphouses there were completely submerged and water level kept rising due to backflow from the adjacent sewer line. There are at least three pumps draining water but there was a lot of water drained from the adjacent Delhi Jal Board line,” said a Public Works Department (PWD) official.
To be sure, after two years of remaining mostly flood-free and being removed from the list of “waterlogging hot spots”, the Minto Bridge underpass was submerged again on Friday morning. Meanwhile, the Tilak Bridge underpass was also closed for vehicles on Friday morning for an hour causing heavy traffic congestion along most of central Delhi. The Zakhira underpass was the third to be closed for traffic in the morning hours after heavy waterlogging. It was drained within two hours and opened to public.
Officials said that Moolchand, Azadpur and Ashok Nagar underpasses also reported heavy waterlogging, even as traffic alerts during the morning hours asked commuters to opt for alternative routes. Meanwhile, the Pragati Maidan tunnel remained relatively dry and was not closed to traffic.
“The drain cleaning was completed at least 10 days ago, but in many areas, drains are choking and there is backflow. Senior officials will be visiting these areas to check what is the concern and if there are blockages anywhere,” the official said, asking not to be named.
The drains of Delhi are managed by PWD, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Corporation, Delhi Jal Board, irrigation department and Delhi Development Authority. All agencies have different drains, sewer networks and other infrastructure under their jurisdiction, making it easier to blame each other for waterlogging and other disasters.
Meanwhile, commuting in Noida after heavy showers has been easier for people as the drainage system in underpasses works to its full capacity. Experts said that better planning and coordinated efforts are required to manage the drains that prevent waterlogging in underpasses.
“Noida is a planned city like Chandigarh while Gurugram and Delhi are not (apart from Lutyens’ Delhi). In Noida, there is a single authority that acquires agricultural land in bulk, develops roads, drainage and sewage network and other infrastructure, anticipating the needs for the next 100 years or more, and then allots land to realtors or individuals,” said Atul Gupta, Noida zone president of Uttar Pradesh Architects and Town Planners’ Association.
Earlier this year, a Delhi high court order directed to remove the multiplicity of agencies handling these drains, and called for a unified management of drains, and the removal of encroachments on the Yamuna floodplains to tackle waterlogging and aid river rejuvenation.