PWD told to speed up work on drain to Delhi airport

The Public Works Department (PWD) has been told to expedite the work on the drain being constructed parallel to NH-8 to the airport. The drain is expected to prevent water from flooding the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport as had happened on Sunday when water-logging was reported from T3’s arrival hall.

The Public Works Department (PWD) has been told to expedite the work on the drain being constructed parallel to NH-8 to the airport. The drain is expected to prevent water from flooding the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport as had happened on Sunday when water-logging was reported from T3’s arrival hall.

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On Tuesday, officials of the PWD and Delhi International Airport Limited carried out a joint inspection to work out a solution to the waterlogging mess. A PWD official said the state chief secretary told the agency to complete the work on the drain on a war-footing.

Also, though the deadline for the project is August 15, the PWD has been asked to complete a majority of the work by June 30.

Officials said the airport got flooded because the surrounding colonies of Shankar Vihar, Rangpuri, Mahipalpur lack proper drainage. Also, the inclination is such that rainwater from these colonies flows towards the airport.

"We are now going to divert the water from these colonies to the Najafgarh drain directly so that airport is not inundated," a senior PWD official.

Sources also said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had constructed a drain near the airport but left it unconnected.

"The airport falls in a low-lying area. And with no proper drainage facility along NH -8, the tunnel that connects the new and old terminal gets flooded,’ added the official.

Airport sources said another meeting of all the agencies concerned — the South Delhi Corporation, NHAI, Delhi Jal Board and PWD — would be soon held to chalk out a long-term plan.