NEW DELHI: The tall claims of the civic authorities that they had taken all measures to ensure there was no waterlogging in underpasses, rail under-bridges and colony roads proved incorrect after the first monsoon rain in the city on Thursday.
A large number of places, including the known trouble-spots, were deluged within a few minutes of the rain starting early on Thursday morning.
Even the newly inaugurated Pragati Maidan tunnel was not spared. Traffic there moved at glacial pace due to waterlogging. Water accumulated and impeded traffic in one of the new underpasses on Mathura Road too. PWD officials had claimed there were elaborate arrangements in the tunnel, including installation of automatic pumps and seven underground sumps for swift discharge of floodwater, but these weren’t evident during the day.
When TOI visited the spot in the afternoon, the pumps were operating at the Mathura Road underpass, but there still was a lot of water around. A PWD official explained that water had collected at the entrance and ramps of the tunnel because they were open to the skies. When the water flowed towards the tunnel box, he took pains to explain, a drain there took care of the water.
“There is a drainage system between the junction of the box and the ramp area where rainwater collects and flows to the number of underground sumps,” the official said. “When the water accumulates and reaches a certain level, the pump is automatically activated. Still, to avoid rainwater collecting there, we have awarded a contract for the installation of a roof, similar to the one at the Ashram underpass where no water logging was noticed on Thursday.”
While arguing that two-wheeler riders seeking cover from the rain in the tunnel led to the jam, the official said, “The underpasses aren’t yet operational, but at underpasses no. 3 and 4, water accumulated when it was pumped there from the nearby flooded roads. We have a tank and heavy duty pumps installed in the underpasses to clear collected water.”
There was heavy waterlogging on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (including the underpasses at UP Gate and Vinod Nagar). While National Highway Authority of India teams directed movement of people and traffic, many had to wade through knee-deep water at the intersections. “The water from the expressway is dumped on the intersection and the underpasses, leading to waterlogging,” alleged Alok Gupta, a local resident.
As is the case these days, the notorious Pul Prahladpur underpass, which has claimed two lives since last year, was shut down for vehicular movement by the traffic police after it got deluged. “The flooding recurred because the pumping system hasn’t yet become functional,” said a PWD official. “We have constructed a tank and installed a pump. It will take a week to get them running. This should resolve the problem.”
However, unlike in previous years, no waterlogging was reported at the Minto Bridge or near the WHO building on Ring Road, both places hotspots for flooding, claimed officials.
In a video posted by the Citizens Alliance on social media, vehicles could be seen plunging through the waterlogged Rao Tula Ram Flyover and Munirka road. Suchita Meena, the Citizens Alliance member who posted the video in the afternoon, said that the matter was reported to PWD in the morning and to the complaint and flooding helplines. “I have never since so much water accumulated on a flyover. This certainly puts a question mark on the arrangements made for the monsoons,” Meena said.
The road opposite Zakir Hussain College near Delhi Gate and the Civic Centre on Minto Road was also submerged. At Anandmayee Road in south Delhi, an area resident said, “Many sections on the road were closed due to flooding. Near Savitri Cinema, a manhole was left open and this could have led to a tragic accident.”
