Waterlogging: Sisodia inspects hotspots at IP Estate Ring Road

New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia conducted an inspection of the waterlogging hotspots at IP Estate Ring Road near the WHO building here on Friday and said the PWD has set up a 5 lakh-litre capacity sump along with a stormwater drain to allay fears of waterlogging during the coming monsoon season, an official statement said.

The Kejriwal government is committed towards ending the menace of waterlogging in the city with the help of micro-level planning, it said.

During the inspection, Sisodia took stock of measures being taken to end waterlogging menace from the Ring Road near WHO building, located close to ITO. After the inspection, the deputy chief minster tweeted that the road in front of WHO building near ITO became a hotspot for waterlogging last year, people faced a lot of trouble.

"This time the PWD engineers have made complete arrangements to prevent waterlogging on the road anywhere in this area. The road has also been raised, and arrangements have also been made to remove lakhs of litres of water from the road simultaneously," he tweeted.

Reacting to the Sisodia's tweet, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "We are trying our best to ensure that the public doesn't face any inconvenience this time."

Sisodia, who also holds the Public Works Department (PWD) portfolio, said that taking cognisance of the situation, some important steps have been taken by the PWD to deal with the problem of waterlogging here. "Our engineers have made all arrangements well in advance this time. To prevent waterlogging at Ring Road IP Estate, the PWD has set up a 5 lakh-litre capacity sump along with a stormwater drain. The level of the road has also been raised," the statement quoted Sisodia as saying. He added that nine pumps have been installed at the site to flush out lakhs of litres of water in case of heavy rains.

Last year Delhi received more than usual rains which led to waterlogging in various areas. Delhi usually receives maximum 25-30 mm of rain per day during monsoon, but last year the city recorded 110 mm of rainfall.

Taking cognisance of this, the Delhi government has identified seven critical areas with severe water logging is reported.

"The preparation includes desilting of drains, construction of storm water drains, sumps, raising levels of roads, installation of new motors, pumps, CCTV cameras at waterlogging hotspots, and alarm systems according to the requirement of the waterlogging sites," the statement said.

The PWD has also set up a 24/7 Central Control Room from where 10 severe water logging sites in Delhi will be monitored through CCTV cameras.