Dump silt at landfill sites, desilt drains regularly

While low-lying areas are bound to get waterlogged during heavy rains, many areas of Delhi can be spared of the mess if civic agencies make desilting a year-long affair.

While low-lying areas are bound to get waterlogged during heavy rains, many areas of Delhi can be spared of the mess if civic agencies make desilting a year-long affair.

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It is also essential to dump the silt at sanitary landfill sites so that it does not make its way back into the drains.

To clean drains better, the civic agencies can bring in more technology. At present the SDMC, NDMC and EDMC are hard-pressed for super-sucker machines that clean drains faster and are able to reach deeper compared to manual labour.

The unified MCD had two super-sucker machines which have been distributed between NDMC and EDMC, leaving SDMC without one.

SDMC has recently passed a proposal to procure two new super-sucker machines but they will only make it in time for next year's monsoon.

According to officials of the municipal corporations, citizens of Delhi can also play a role in avoiding waterlogging during monsoon by dumping garbage only in bins and garbage dump sites.

“A lot of the times, residents of some localities dump garbage into drains after they have been desilted. During monsoons, the garbage clogs up the drain, leading to waterlogging,” said an official of the SDMC.

Moreover, a number of storm water drains have been encroached upon and covered up, leaving no space for rainwater to flow.