NEW DELHI: Taking stock of the effect on the city of the season’s first rainfall, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia claimed no waterlogging was recorded in six of the seven hotspots identified by Delhi government. Sisodia, who is in charge of the public works and irrigation & flood control departments, claimed city residents did not face any major problems despite Thursday’s heavy rainfall. He, however, sought a detailed account from officials of the post-rainfall action.
“The entire city received heavy rainfall for hours but due to the alertness of PWD, MCD, irrigation & flood control department and revenue department and the measures taken in the past year to deal with waterlogging, Delhiites did not have to face the problem of waterlogging in most places,” Sisodia said in a statement.
After a review with officials of the agencies concerned late on Thursday, the deputy CM said of seven key flood hotspots, six locations — opposite ITO-WHO Building, Minto Bridge, Zakhira underpass, Jahangirpuri metro station road, Karala-Kanjhawala Road and Loni roundabout — did not see flooding on Thursday.
“Even at Pul Prahladpur, which has been a site of serious flooding in the recent past, the government took adequate steps to prevent waterlogging. Due to a power outage, the pump couldn’t be run and there was flooding there with the underpass having to be closed to traffic,” said Sisodia. He added that instructions had been issued to PWD to increase the number of pumps at Pul Prahladpur within two days.
The deputy CM said waterlogging was reported near the new tunnel at Pragati Maidan and attributed it to a non-functional drainage system. “The problem, however, was resolved soon,” he added.
Earlier, in a meeting of various nodal agencies, Sisodia released the Flood Control Order, 2022 and stressed upon the need for all the nodal agencies to work in tandem to avoid flooding in the Yamuna Khadar area and manage the rise in the water level of the Yamuna during the monsoons. Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, alleged that waterlogging in the city on the first day was a major failure for the Kejriwal government and demanded Sisodia’s resignation. Bidhuri alleged that Pul Prahladpur and ITO and its surrounding areas were flooded despite the government's claims of having made the required arrangements to prevent waterlogging. Bidhuri also alleged that PWD had failed to clear its drains of muck, causing flooding across the city on Thursday.
