NEW DELHI: Before the onset of the monsoon, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has expedited cleaning of drains under its jurisdiction. So far 215 of the 247 drains have been cleaned.
Drains that are more than four feet deep, extending over a length of more than 160 kilometres, are being cleaned by the engineering department, whereas the cleaning of drains that are less deep is being done by the Department of Environment Maintenance Services (DEMS).
“Desilting is of paramount importance in order to overcome the breaking out of diseases, control breeding of mosquitoes and maintain sanitation during the rainy season. The work is on and there has been no disruption during the last few weeks,” said SDMC Mayor Sunita Kangra.
The mayor on Friday chaired a meeting with officials from DEMS and the sanitation department to know the status of the cleaning of drains. The mayor asked the departments to expedite the work as cleaning of the drains would go a long way towards improving cleanliness.
According to the south civic body, work on the other drains is expected to be over before the onset of the monsoon as it has sufficient manpower and machines.
The departments concerned have also been asked to submit a progress report to the mayor after every two days in order to enable her to monitor the status of the work and give appropriate instructions.
The South municipal body added that 21 pumping stations will become functional very soon.
The mayor also stated that it was necessary to deal with spots that suffer waterlogging.