Pumps being installed immediately in areas facing waterlogging: Delhi Mayor

Pumps are being installed immediately in areas facing waterlogging and the MCD is working with the Delhi government to find a solution to the problem, Mayor Shelly Oberoi said on Sunday.

Delhi recorded 153 mm of rain in a 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest in a single day in July since 1982, the India Meteorological Department said.

During an inspection at the Kishanganj underpass to prevent waterlogging, she also said that officials and employees of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) are working to provide relief to people from rain-related civic problems.

"To address this problem expeditiously, control rooms have been set up in all the 12 zones of the MCD, which are working round the clock. On receiving complaints of waterlogging, temporary pumps are also being installed immediately to alleviate the inconvenience faced by the public. The mayor also remarked that the problem of waterlogging in Delhi is not a recent one," the Mayor's Office said in a statement.

The Delhi government and the MCD are finding a solution together, Oberoi said during her visit.

"Officers and employees were instructed to work today, despite it being a Sunday. Everyone's leave has been cancelled. The employees of the MCD worked on streets till 3 am on Saturday as well. Wherever there was waterlogging, temporary pumps were installed there," the statement read.

She said it rained continuously in Delhi from Friday night to Saturday night. The city received 133 mm of rain in this short period of time, breaking the record of the last 20 years, the mayor claimed.

Oberoi claimed that 15 per cent of the total rainfall in Delhi was received in just 12 hours on Saturday. The MCD is always prepared to deal with waterlogging, but this time due to record rains, the problem of waterlogging was unprecedented, the mayor said.

"The people of Delhi will soon get relief from the problem of waterlogging. The Delhi government and the MCD are working step by step to solve this problem. Every step will be taken to make Delhi free from waterlogging," she assured.

For Monday also, the meteorological department has issued an alert for heavy rains in Delhi.