Public Works Department Asks Officials To Check Waterlogging During Rains

The Public Works Department of the Delhi goverment has directed its senior officials to visit their respective areas during rains to check waterlogging.

The directives were issued at a recent meeting, chaired by Engineer-in-Chief (E-in-C) Rakesh Kumar Agrawal, on various issues.

According to the minutes of meeting, the field units of the department were also directed to inform the centralised control room about waterlogging in areas, irrespective of the jurisdiction.

During the monsoon season, Delhi witnesses waterlogging on roads and agencies blame each other for not taking concrete steps to prevent the situation.

"It was directed that in addition to subordinate field staff, superintendent engineers should also visit their respective sites during rains and take stock of the position by themselves and mobilise teams for dealing with waterlogging problems. The respective MCDs should also be kept in loop while dealing with waterlogging problems," the minutes of meeting stated.

It stated that in the meeting, some officials pointed out that due to non-cleaning of smaller drains under jurisdiction of municipal corporations, the silt from these drains, during rains, reach the already cleaned PWD drains due to which the department needs to do the desilting repeatedly.

"The E-in-C directed that in cases where the work is held up due to issues of other civic agencies, the matter should be taken up with them in writing with proper details, including photographs," it also stated.

Last month, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had called for setting up of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to clean the city's drains and prevent waterlogging on roads in the national capital.

Mr Sisodia had said the process of cleaning the drains being used by the PWD and the MCDs in most of the cases was very "primitive".

He had also said garbage from drains was kept by the road and was then taken away when it dried up, adding that in the process a part of the garbage again went back into the drain.