New Delhi: In response to the heavy rains and significant waterlogging in the national capital, the Delhi government convened an emergency meeting on Friday at the Delhi Secretariat. After the meeting, Delhi Minister Atishi announced that the session was attended by all senior officials of the government and several important decisions were taken.
Atishi said that the Delhi government has identified 200 hotspts which are prone to waterlogging. She said that the reason behind waterlogging is excessive rainfall which is more than the capacity of drains.
Delhi, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena also convened an emergency meeting with key agencies of the Delhi government. Attendees included officials from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Public Works Department (PWD), Irrigation and Flood Control Department (IFC), Delhi Police, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), National Disaster Management Control (NDMC), and Delhi Development Authority (DDA).
The meeting focused on reviewing the city’s preparedness and emergency response mechanisms to handle the ongoing situation and potential challenges as the monsoon season approaches. Saxena expressed concerns over the lack of preparedness and stressed the urgency of completing desilting work and issuing the Flood Control Order to mitigate the risk of flooding and waterlogging.
During the meeting, LG Saxena issued 11 immediate directives aimed at improving the city’s response to the waterlogging crisis. Key measures included the establishment of a 24×7 emergency control room, with a publicly accessible control room number for reporting incidents of waterlogging.
The deployment of mobile pumps was mandated to address clogged areas, and the traffic police were instructed to issue regular advisories to manage traffic in waterlogged regions. Additionally, the Irrigation and Flood Control Department was directed to maintain communication with counterparts in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to monitor rainfall and water discharge from the Hathnikund barrage, which affects Delhi’s water levels.
The Indian Meteorological Department reported that Delhi’s Safdarjung observatory recorded 228 mm of rainfall by 8:30 am, marking the second-highest 24-hour rainfall in June since 1936. The heavy downpour resulted in significant waterlogging in various parts of the city, causing disruptions and public dissatisfaction with the government’s response.
