Work on desilting of drains nearly complete: Authorities

New Delhi: Work on desilting of drains in Delhi is “nearly complete” and other potential waterlogging spots are being monitored using CCTV cameras, officials said on Monday.

Authorities are rushing to complete the job as the monsoon arrived in the national capital on Sunday, two days before its scheduled onset, bringing respite to Delhiites from the scorching heat.

Drains along smaller roads are maintained by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and those along wider roads are done by the Public Works Department here. “Our work on desilting is nearly complete,” a senior MCD official said.

Mayor Shelly Oberoi on June 1 instructed officials that the city’s drains’ desilting work should be done by June 15.

She also said permanent and temporary water pumps should be installed at places prone to waterlogging, and sensitive places should be monitored through CCTV cameras.

Oberoi on Monday held a meeting with MCD officials to review the status of monsoon preparedness, her office said in a statement.

The MCD is working on a “war footing, making continuous efforts to prevent waterlogging during monsoon season”.

“The corporation is working closely with other departments to minimise the inconvenience caused to citizens due to waterlogging,” she said.

During the meeting, the mayor instructed the officials to coordinate with the officials of PWD and other departments. In case of waterlogging, immediate action should be taken to drain the water so that the citizens do not face any problems, she said.

Officials said due to timely preparations, there was only “slight waterlogging at a few places and prompt action was taken to clear it” after fresh rains. The mayor instructed the officials to form an “interdepartmental coordination group”. She said that by ensuring mutual coordination, the situation of waterlogging would be

tackled in a better way.

The officials also informed the mayor of efforts being made by the MCD to clean several drains, including the ones at Srinivaspuri, near Dayal Singh College, Gokulpur, and Patel Nagar. The mayor, while instructing the officers, said all the officers should be alert during the rains and ensure that there is no intense waterlogging anywhere, the statement said.

A PWD official too said the work of desilting drains is “almost complete”.

“Yesterday, the work carried out by the department was assessed, and there were no major hiccups. We installed CCTV cameras to monitor underground sumps and waterlogging spots. Officials concerned were monitoring the pace of work being carried out at these spots since they have access to footage,” he said.

The official also said that such waterlogging points that were identified, “have been taken care of”, and barring some new ones that have emerged in areas in outer and north Delhi, “the work has been carried out at all spots to prevent any waterlogging there”. The rains which started early morning on Sunday brought the maximum temperature down to 29 degrees Celsius, eight notches below the season’s average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.