NEW DELHI: As the monsoon begins, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has removed more than 57,000 metric tonnes (MT) of silt from stormwater drains across the city as part of its desilting drive.
They added that the campaign was carried out in a mission mode under the monitoring of Lieutenant-Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who has been reviewing the preparedness of various agencies and the progress of the work.
In order to facilitate a smooth execution of the drive, the city was divided into six operational zones–East, South, North, Narela, Rohini and Dwarka– thereby allowing focused planning and supervision.
According to the authority, the desilting has been completed in the East, South and North Zones, while the exercise is in its final stages in the Narela, Rohini and Dwarka Zones.
The large-scale operation was undertaken in order to improve the carrying capacity of the city’s stormwater drainage network and reduce the risk of waterlogging.
The DDA said that around 33,380 MT of silt was removed during last year’s pre-monsoon drive. However, this year, the figure has crossed 57,000 MT, reflecting a significant expansion in the scale of the exercise. The drive, officials said, registered an increase of over 70% silt recovered compared to last year, officials said on Thursday.
Additionally, the DDA has also established a Central Flood Control Room along with flood control rooms in all the engineering zones as a part of its monsoon preparedness measures.
The officials said, a dedicated 24x7 helpline is being put in place to address complaints related to waterlogging, while mobile pumping units have been deployed at vulnerable locations to enable quick removal of accumulated rainwater.
In mission mode
The campaign was carried out in a mission mode under monitoring of Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who has been reviewing the preparedness of various agencies, said officials.