As Delhi gets ready to welcome the monsoon season in a few days, authorities have made elaborate plans to allay fears of waterlogging in the newly-opened Pragati Maidan tunnel by installing automatic pumping systems to collect and swiftly drain the storm water during heavy rains. This is over and above the underground sumps that have been constructed to avoid waterlogging.
The Public Works Department (PWD) had constructed the 1.3-km-long tunnel and five underpasses as part of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project that aims to ease connectivity between central Delhi with the eastern part of the city and satellite towns of Noida and Ghaziabad. PWD officials said since the facility is located in close proximity to the Yamuna flood basin, a new drainage network of wider pipes with high water discharge capacity has been laid there. "There is no need to worry about flooding in the tunnel as automatic pumps along with underground sumps have been constructed in the facility.
This will enable swift discharge of storm water in case of heavy rain. Other than this, temporary pumps will also be kept on standby mode so that they can be quickly deployed whenever required," a senior PWD official said The official also said that to prevent waterlogging and seepage issue in the tunnel, special attention has been paid to waterproofing of walls.
He said the geometry of nearby roads has also been improved so that there is no flooding in the newly-opened facility. Slope gradients and drains mouths have been designed in a way that the rainwater does not get accumulated in the tunnel or underpasses, the official said.
For the last two years, extensive waterlogging had been taking place in many parts of the city during the monsoon season. In July 2020, a 56-year-old man allegedly drowned when his mini-truck was submerged in water under the Minto Bridge in central Delhi.
In May this year, a 40-year-old man drowned at the flooded Pul Prahladpur underpass. Another PWD official said alarms will also be installed to inform authorities about flooding in the tunnel.
A network of wider and large chamber pipes with high water discharge capacity has been laid in and around the facility to quickly drain out rain water.
The tunnel will be under strict surveillance as nearly 100 CCTV cameras have been installed inside it, he said.