NEW DELHI: Cautioned from the unprecedented 228 mm of rainfall in a single day on Friday, which snuffed out 11 lives, the authorities are on a high alert, as the weather office has forecast heavy rain on Tuesday.
The IMD has predicted heavy rains in Delhi and sounded “orange alert” till July 2.
An official in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said the civic body has ramped up manpower deployment to handle waterlogging complaints and is monitoring areas under Lutyens’ Delhi through CCTV cameras.
“We have deployed four additional pumps on a standby basis at Golf Links and Bharti Nagar, which witnessed excessive waterlogging on Friday,” NDMC Vice-Chairman Satish Upadhyay said.
Furthermore, he mentioned that “three super suction machines mounted on vehicles will keep patrolling the vulnerable areas. We have also deployed additional staff and cancelled the offs of all employees.” On Friday, the upscale Lutyens’ Delhi area faced a flood-like situation with water infiltrating the residences of many MPs.
Each critical area has been assigned to a superintending engineer who, along with their staff, is responsible for addressing waterlogging issues. “The NDMC central command and control room will monitor all vulnerable areas through CCTV cameras,” Upadhyay added.
An official further elaborated that superintending engineers are now overseeing operations at key points to ensure prompt intervention. “We will ensure 24-hour monitoring through CCTV cameras. CCTV cameras are in place for continuous monitoring of vulnerable areas.”
Various equipment, including mobile pumps, super sucker machines, and earthmovers, have been deployed at multiple locations where waterlogging has been reported. This deployment is being managed through dedicated 24×7 zonal control rooms of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
According to PWD officials, all waterlogged spots except the Pragati Maidan Tunnel have been drained.
On Saturday, Delhi L-G V K Saxena inspected the city’s most severely affected areas and drainage systems to evaluate the damage and supervise remedial measures. During his visits, Saxena found all these drains clogged with garbage and sludge that caused severe flooding.
