Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, ordered the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to investigate the causes of the unprecedented waterlogging and to develop a special plan to prevent future occurrences after two days of heavy rain caused the streets of Lutyens Delhi to become inundated.
The Union government’s administrative centre, New Delhi, had significant flooding on Saturday and Sunday. Pictures of water logging in Connaught Place, Kartavya Path, major thoroughfares like Janpath, and even at the homes of key officials were extensively posted on social media.
Six complaints about fallen trees were among the 42 waterlogging reports the NDMC received on Saturday alone.
Kejriwal met with agencies and ministries on Monday to discuss the emergency situation in the New Delhi region. Without wishing to point fingers, he added, “NDMC VVIP zones had major waterlogging for the first time, and we have requested NDMC to research it in order to develop a particular strategy so that such complaints are not seen in the future.
The NDMC is a legally independent organisation that was created by a Parliamentary statute. The chief minister serves as the council’s ex officio member and chairs its sessions.
According to an NDMC spokeswoman, New Delhi’s flooding was caused by rapid, intense rainfall that exceeded the capacity of all major drainage barrels. The surplus precipitation ran back over the roadways once the capacity of the drains was exceeded, notably at Panchkuian Road, Connaught Place, and the AIIMS overpass, among other locations. The spokesman said that a project to expand the capacity of trunk sewage lines and main barrels would be performed shortly to boost the drainage capacity. “The NDMC area also received excess run-off water from Municipal Corporation of Delhi areas,” the spokesperson said.
The flooding in New Delhi, according to NDMC vice-chairman Satish Upadhyay, is allegedly the result of a Delhi Municipal Corporation sewer overflowing. “A MCD drain near Dyal Singh College was the cause of the flooding in NDMC districts, it was observed. The Public Works Department’s subpar roads and drains should be a source of concern for the CM. The NDMC lands are already under our care, he said.
