Delhiites also need to take the blame for waterlogging

It is not only the authorities that are to be blamed for not keeping the city free from waterlogging. Its residents too have not done their bit.

It is not only the authorities that are to be blamed for not keeping the city free from waterlogging. Its residents too have not done their bit. Pavements have bell-mouths through which rainwater flows into drains. However, crunch of parking space has made many residents cover them up.

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“In many areas such as Saket, Malviya Nagar, Greater Kailash I, a number of roads don’t have bell-mouths along the footpaths. Even if civic agencies construct them, residents cover them up to use the area as parking space. Waterlogging in these areas is bound to happen,” said Rukma Datta, a resident of East of Kailash.

A number of bell-mouths do not have wire mesh and hence plastic, waste and garbage make their way into the drains, clogging them further. The situation has been compounded by the fact that nearly 45 per cent houses in the city are not connected to the sewerage system.

“We have been demanding funds for planning and implementing the drainage masterplan to rid the city of waterlogging, but the government has been turning a blind eye to it," said Subhash Arya, leader of the House, South Delhi Municipal Corporation.