NEW DELHI: As Delhi braces for the monsoon, civic authorities have ramped up the annual desilting of drains. However, residents across the city say the exercise is only replacing one problem with another. Sludge extracted from drains is often dumped along roadsides, where it is left unattended for days, raising health and hygiene concerns.
In South Delhi’s Ghitorni, mounds of silt can be seen every 50 metres along narrow lanes, heaped beside open manholes. According to residents, sanitation workers began clearing drains a week ago, but the sludge still lies in place. “We are extremely worried about disease outbreaks. Flies, foul odour, and the risk of infections are growing. We’ve raised complaints with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), but nothing has been done,” rues Seema Bisht, a local resident.
Recent rainfall and storms have worsened the situation, with many residents reporting that the sludge has either washed back into the drains or been blown across the roads.
Similar complaints have surfaced in Laxmi Nagar, where shopkeepers complain that silt is dumped outside their establishments every year. “Every year they clean the drains, they leave the muck in front of our shops. It disrupts business, clogs parking spaces and slows down traffic,” laments Ramesh Lal, who owns a general store in the area.
The MCD ropes in private operators for the cleaning and transport of silt across its 12 administrative zones. The sludge is meant to be sent to designated dumping grounds at Ghazipur and Bhalswa landfills. MCD officials claim that strict instructions have been issued to contractors for the timely removal.
However, one contractor admits that delays are common: “We wait until there’s enough silt accumulated and dried before transporting it.” And residents are left to grapple with the fallout of the incomplete cleanup.
Notably, Delhi is likely to experience thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds between May 29 and 31, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday. Wind speeds may temporarily reach 60–70 kmph during intense activity. It is expected to compound the situation.