NEW DELHI: PWD Minister Parvesh Verma on Sunday inspected the Connaught Place Outer Circle, which suffered waterlogging a day earlier after heavy rain, blaming alterations to its 100-year-old drainage system for the problem.
The minister said he had also visited the site late at night on Saturday when a 100-metre stretch near the Kake Da Hotel area was submerged. He explained that the original barrel drainage system, built a century ago, has been constricted over time due to construction, restricting water flow and causing repeated flooding.
“To address this, we have installed two high-capacity pumps to ease the load and push water forward more efficiently,” he said. The PWD is conducting a detailed point-by-point study to find permanent solutions after water entered several shops during the downpour. An official statement noted that 34 critical waterlogging points, including Zakhira, Minto Bridge, Moolchand, and ITO, remained free from flooding this year due to continuous monitoring, timely interventions, and rapid on-site action. Verma said water accumulation on PWD roads has been significantly lower this monsoon, adding, “We will ensure that in the coming years, Delhi will be completely free from waterlogging.”
Expressing grief over the death of a two-and-a-half-year-old boy who fell into an open sewer in Khera Khurd during heavy rain, he called it “extremely unfortunate and heartbreaking” and vowed measures to prevent such incidents. AAP Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised Verma’s “belated and meaningless” inspection, saying he “woke up 24 hours after the city drowned” and failed to be on the ground when lives were lost.