Delhi Lt Governor(LG)Vinai Kumar Saxena has lauded the Delhi Development Authority(DDA)for its efforts in constructing the Airport Drain, as a result of which, despite the recent record downpour, the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport remained free of water-logging.

Giving details here on Thursday, officials said right after taking over, Saxena had taken up the task of constructing the Airport drain from IGI Airport to PWD Trunk Drain No.2, on the southern side of the Airport in a mission mode.  The Airport had faced flooding even during the floods in the Capital last year.

After the infamous flooding of the Airport Runways and Terminal in 2019, that had brought international disrepute, IGIA had approached DDA, which in turn had started construction of the drain connecting the Airport to TD-2 in 2020.  However, the same had gotten stuck due to lack of permissions by the GNCTD for more than 02 years.

After taking over, the LG had asked DDA to move the Delhi High Court which in turn had directed GNCTD to give the required permissions, which finally came in August, 2022.

Thereafter, the DDA working in mission mode under direct supervision of the LG, who visited the site on 20 occasions, completed the works in a record time of 15 months, with the drain getting inaugurated in December, 2023.

In a recent review, the LG was informed that the drain flowed to its maximum capacity of 80 cumecon the day of the heavy downpour i.e. on 28.06.2024 and successfully carried the water discharged from the Airport and its neighbouring areas, which helped the Airport and the areas remain free of water-logging for the first time in several years.

Similar intervention by the DDA in East Delhi, helped large areas in Trilokpuri and MayurVihar, etc., prone to flooding every year, remain largely flood-free this year.

In his visit to the area last year, the LG had instructed DDA to construct channels from the Highway, from where water used to flow down into the residential localities, into the Sanjay Lake owned by DDA, in the neighbourhood.

He had also asked for large pipes to be positioned by making large holes in the boundary wall of the neighbouring residential areas, so as to ensure water flows from these areas into the Sanjay Lake.

This served the dual purpose of not only draining out water from the areas suffering from flooding for years together, but also recharging the Sanjay Lake with fresh rainwater.