Delhi: Come rains, PWD flooded with waterlogging plaints

NEW DELHI:  With monsoon rains lashing the city in the last few weeks, the Public Works Department of Delhi government has reported an increase in the number of complaints related to waterlogging. 

According to PWD, in July alone there have been 1,149 complaints related to waterlogging registered at the complaint centre of the department. PWD is the primary agency of the Delhi government engaged in planning, designing, constructing and maintaining infrastructure like roads, bridges and flyovers.

Every year Delhi is grappled by waterlogging at various points across the city after a few days of rains during the monsoon season. Due to involvement of multiple agencies dealing with the infrastructure, accountability for such incidents is pushed around despite several accidents, including death, taking place during the monsoon.

For the past seven years, the Delhi Police has been highlighting certain areas which face waterlogging due to various reasons including bad road design, unauthorised construction and blockage of drains. 
Some of the prominent 

areas where waterlogging has been reported in this monsoon season are Ring Road near WHO building, near Pragati Maidan, portion of the newly redeveloped Chandni Chowk, Vikas Marg near DDA building, Kamla Market, Rohini, Sadar Bazar, Malviya Nagar among others.

According to experts, Delhi is receiving high intensity of rainfall in July than it usually does in the month. However, the infamous Minto Bridge underpass in Central Delhi has not witnessed any waterlogging till now, which the present government claims is an achievement by it and the same model will be replicated in other areas of Delhi which witness frequent waterlogging issues during rainfall.

Who is accountable?
Due to the involvement of multiple agencies dealing with city’s infrastructure, accountability for accidents is pushed around despite several serious incidents, including death