NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Wednesday issued a ‘Flood Control Order’ directing departments to be prepared for any “flood-like situation” in the national capital. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta asserted that the government is fully prepared to handle any such situation.
Gupta on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the apex committee on flood control at the secretariat to review the city’s preparedness ahead of the monsoon season and to issue the Flood Control Order 2025, which serves as a manual or guidebook for all departments, a statement said. The document carries details of each department’s responsibilities, emergency contact points, and disaster management protocols.
After the meeting, Gupta said that every year, Delhi residents suffer due to floods and waterlogging. She recalled how in August-September 2023, Delhi was struck by an unprecedented flood when the Yamuna River rose to 208.6 metres, submerging many residential areas. She said nodal officers have been deployed in major flood-prone areas and key drains are being desilted, the statement said.
Gupta claimed that the previous governments never took flood control seriously and pointed out how in 2023, gates of the barrage couldn’t even be opened as a consequence.
“In contrast, this year all major barrages have undergone large-scale repairs and maintenance, and nearly 20 lakh metric tonnes of silt have been removed from major drains. Around 80-90 per cent of desilting work by MCD and PWD is complete and the rest is ongoing,” she said.
The CM said the Flood Control Order 2025 carries guidelines for drainage systems, river embankments, pumping stations, operational plans, equipment details, and emergency contact numbers.
She said committees have been formed under cabinet ministers Parvesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, and Manjinder Singh Sirsa, with three to four district magistrates under each with the responsibility to manage floods.