Civic bodies gear up for waterlogging as IMD forecasts heavy rain in Delhi

Boosting manpower and equipment deployment to address waterlogging and keeping field units on high alert are among the steps taken by civic bodies amid a prediction of heavy rains in Delhi till Tuesday.

The national capital was brought to its knees on Friday morning as 228.1 mm of rainfall on the first day of monsoon, the highest for the month of June since 1936, submerged several parts of the city and claimed multiple lives.

The IMD has predicted heavy rains in Delhi and has put the city on "orange alert" till July 2.

An official in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said the civic body has ramped up manpower deployment to handle waterlogging complaints and is monitoring areas under Lutyens' Delhi through CCTV cameras.

On Friday, the upscale Lutyens' Delhi area witnessed a flood-like situation as water entered the bungalows of many MPs.

NDMC Vice-Chairman Satish Upadhyay said they have deployed four additional pumps on a standby basis at Golf Links and Bharti Nagar which witnessed excessive waterlogging on Friday.

"Three super suction machines mounted on vehicles will keep patrolling the vulnerable areas. We have also deployed additional staff and cancelled the offs of all employees.

"Each vulnerable area has been placed under one superintending engineer who has staffers with them to address issues. The NDMC central command and control room will monitor all vulnerable areas through CCTV cameras," Upadhyay told PTI.

According to the NDMC, superintending engineers are now overseeing operations at vulnerable points to ensure timely interventions.

"We will ensure 24-hour monitoring through CCTV cameras. CCTV cameras are in place for continuous monitoring of vulnerable areas," another official said.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has put its field units on high alert to deal with any such situation. A senior official of the civic body said their central control room is functioning round the clock and claimed that the de-silting of drains has been completed.

Mobile pumps, super sucker machines, earth movers and other machines have been deployed at various locations where waterlogging was reported through dedicated 24x7 zonal control rooms of the MCD, the official said.

"In total, 72 permanent pumping stations are working as per requirement. Additionally, 465 mobile/submersible pumps of different capacities were made available to clear waterlogging. Manpower was adequately deployed also in tandem with machines for quick and sustained release of water," he said.

"As part of the monsoon action plan, all arrangements have been made and field units are put on high alert to tackle the situation," the official added.

According to PWD officials, all waterlogged spots except the Pragati Maidan Tunnel have been drained.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Saturday inspected the city's most severely affected areas and drainage systems to assess the damage and oversee remedial measures.

Accompanied by Chief Secretary cum Chairman NDMC, Commissioner MCD, Principal Secretary PWD, and other senior officials, Saxena inspected the drains at Taimur Nagar, Barapulla Drain, ITPO, Tilak Bridge, Kushak Nallah, Golf Links, and Bharti Nagar.

During his visits, Saxena found all these drains clogged with garbage and sludge that caused severe flooding in various parts of the city, a statement said.