The Times of India 12.08.2010
City sinks, 223 waterlogging complaints
NEW DELHI: The city was submerged in water and traffic was brought to a complete halt in several areas on Wednesday. A total of 223 complaints of waterlogging were received by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) control rooms from across the city. The civic agency claimed its officials were in the field to supervise the arrangements to clear the water.
Waterlogging was reported from several areas, including ITO-Chungi, South Extension, Lajpat Nagar, IIT, Ashram, Moolchand, Defence Colony, Lodhi Road, Savitri Cinema, Chirag Dilli, Punjabi Bagh, Shakti Nagar, AIIMS, Pusa Road, Azad Market, Burari, Wazirabad, IP flyover, Shadipur, CP and Mandi House. Amongst the worst affected were the West, Central and Shahdara North zones that received 28, 25 and 28 complaints, respectively.
Meanwhile, MCD resorted to offering the same excuse of the drainage system not being able to take the load of so much water after the heavy showers. Said mayor P R Sawhney: ‘‘Drains in the city have a limited capacity and cannot take in the excessive water after heavy showers. Also, drainage system is faulty at some places which is leading to waterlogging in those areas. Lack of coordination among various agencies is also posing to be a problem and is adding to the trouble.’’
The civic agency claimed that the ongoing construction work in the city was making matters worse even as the sewer system was choked. Said an official: ‘‘The construction waste lying along most of the roads tends to block the drainage system. In some cases, the drains have collapsed due to ongoing construction work. Concretization of footpaths has also compounded the waterlogging problem in the city.’’
Concerns are being raised regarding the preparedness ahead of the Commonwealth Games as it is expected to rain during the mega sporting event also. There are apprehensions that the problem may lead to an embarrassing situation.
The civic agency, which is responsible for desilting stormwater drains in the city, had said in July that it has cleaned all the 1,500 drains twice this year. According to MCD’s annual desilting report, it had over-achieved its target this year.
A resident of south Delhi, Ranjan Sharma, said, ‘‘We face the same situation every time it rains. No matter what promises are made the previous year, we see waterlogging and traffic jams nearly everyday during the monsoons. Each agency blames the other for the mess.’’
Meanwhile, according to MCD officials, desiliting is being carried out at night also. Said an MCD official: ‘‘Desilting is a continuous process and will be carried out throughout the year. MCD is also installing silt chambers along the drains to clear these at an early stage.’’
