Ahead of rains, CM calls for faster work to revamp drainage

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said his government will appoint two consultants to resolve Delhi's drainage problems and help in redesigning the entire drainage network in the Capital to overcome issues like waterlogging so that Delhi can become a "world-class" capital, officials here said on Monday.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting, which was chaired by the chief minister, to discuss the Delhi Drainage Master Plan, which was announced after last year's unusual monsoon had left several parts across the Capital inundated on multiple occasions.

"The Delhi government will appoint two consultants to look after the project. One consultant will handle the works of the Najafgarh basin. The second consultant will look after Trans-Yamuna and Barapullah basins. They will prepare the blueprints for augmenting Delhi's drainage systems and monitor the implementation work as well," the statement said.

Delhi is divided into three major natural drainage basins — Trans-Yamuna, Barapullah and Najafgarh. In addition to these, there are some small drainage basins in Aruna Nagar and Chandrawal that drain directly into the Yamuna river.

"We have been working very hard to resolve Delhi's drainage and waterlogging problems. This is our dream project. We should initiate discussions with all caretaker agencies and ask them to let us take charge of transforming the drainage system. A plan must be chalked out for this purpose so that requisite approvals can be sought," the statement quoted Kejriwal as saying.

The chief minister further directed officials to make the necessary preparations to seek approvals from all the concerned agencies. He also directed officers to resolve the problem of waterlogging during heavy rains.

"For this purpose, necessary changes will be made in every wastewater drain and stormwater drain so that even during heavy rains, better drainage can be ensured and the problem of waterlogging can be resolved," he added.

There are about 2,846 drains in Delhi with a total length of about 3,692 kilometres, the majority of which are managed by the Public Works Department (PWD), which is also the nodal department.

The statement said that the PWD has identified 147 waterlogging hotspots in Delhi and is preparing short-term and

long-term strategies to prevent waterlogging in these areas in the future.

During the meeting, the CM said it is essential to overcome issues like waterlogging to make Delhi a "world-class" capital and the government is working round the clock to rid the city of its drainage woes.