NEW DELHI: The arrival of the monsoons in Delhi on Tuesday brought a long-awaited respite from the high temperatures but there was the usual demerit too: waterlogging at various places in the city that caused the traffic to crawl.
A lot of water had accumulated near the AIIMS flyover, Pul Prahladpur, Mundka railway bridge, Ring Road, Vikas Marg and Kirari, among other places, mocking the claims of PWD and the municipal corporations at having unclogged the stormwater drains. The preparatory arrangements at Minto Bridge proved to be sufficient, however, with this vulnerable site experiencing no flooding on Tuesday.
A PWD official claimed that after being directed to ensure no waterlogging on the streets during the rains, the agency had made elaborate arrangements to deal with the flooding, which was tested today by the heavy rain. The second most affected site during the rains — Pul Prahladpur — continued to be a trouble area and traffic had to be diverted to other roads.
The monsoon reports from the municipal corporations indicate that the impact of rains was much heavier in south Delhi. The official monsoon report of South Delhi Municipal Corporation said that waterlogging complaints were received from places like East of Kailash, Munirka, Shivalik Road, Malviya Nagar, Asola, Vasant Kunj, Rajpur Khurd and Badarpur. Since the waterlogging occurred after the morning rains and before the evening peak traffic hour, it led to snarls and delays for many commuters.
The civic body also registered four cases of tree felling in some places, including RPS Colony, Sheikh Sarai Phase 1, Kailash Colony, I Block Jangpura Extension and D Block Lajpat Nagar. Two cases of buildings being damaged by the heavy rain have been recorded at Savitri Nagar and Hauz Khas. A senior municipal official said that the waterlogging at these spots was temporary and occurred due to abnormally heavy precipitation, with the water draining way later.
The monsoon report from the north corporation stated that no waterlogging complaints were received from City-SP, Karol Bagh and Keshavpuram zones, only from other places like MC Primary School Mubarakpur, Majlis Park, Karala and Mundka. A civic official said that these were low-lying areas and pumps had been installed to clear the water within a few hours.
The spokesperson of EDMC claimed that no monsoon-related complaints had been received from Shahdara North and Shahadra South zones. The official monsoon report also recorded zero cases of waterlogging, tree felling and damaged structures. EDMC officials said that very light rain was recorded in the trans-Yamuna areas.
PWD officials said only minor waterlogging complaints were reported and water was removed at such spots. They said around 147 vulnerable locations had been identified as being prone to waterlogging. “All necessary arrangements have been made. Field staff are regularly visiting these areas. CCTV cameras have also been installed at about 20 most vulnerable locations for real time, round-the-clock monitoring for waterlogging,” an official asserted.
A Delhi government official said that necessary instructions had been issued to all departments concerned, including PWD and flood & irrigation control, to ensure that the water did not collect on the streets. Wherever waterlogging occurs, the roads should be cleared within 10-15 minutes, the officials were instructed. PWD has installed 1,500 pumps at vulnerable locations to get rid of the water.
