Heavy rains trigger waterlogging, traffic snarls; CM Rekha inspects affected areas
Traffic movement in Delhi was affected after a heavy downpour inundated key corridors on Saturday, including areas around the Indira Gandhi International Airport and Mahipalpur, raising concerns over preparedness ahead of the BRICS Summit next week.
As heavy rains hit the city, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta conducted a surprise inspection of waterlogged areas near Sadbhavna Park in East Delhi on Saturday.
During the inspection, she assessed areas prone to waterlogging, reviewed the cleanliness of major roads, and received updates on the water drainage system and the challenges posed by the ongoing rains. “She directed officials to immediately deploy pumps and other necessary resources in waterlogged areas and ensure swift clearance of accumulated water,” the Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The chief minister also instructed officials to strengthen the drainage system further during the monsoon season and ensure that no area experiences waterlogging, the statement added.
The chief minister emphasised that all concerned departments must work with complete preparedness, promptness and coordination to ensure that Delhi residents do not face inconvenience due to rainfall. The inspection comes a day after several parts of the city were waterlogged, particularly areas around Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Several parts of Delhi were submerged on Saturday after heavy rain, with roads disappearing beneath knee-deep water and traffic slowing to a crawl. Safdarjung recorded 22 mm of rainfall between 8.30 am and 11.30 am, while Palam received 25.2 mm, Lodhi Road 24.4 mm, and Ridge 6.8 mm during the period.
The capital has been receiving incessant rain since Friday. The Dwarka underpass connecting Palam with the IGI domestic area, along with the parts near Terminal 3, was inundated after Friday’s heavy rain.
A PWD official had earlier said temporary pumps were deployed to remove the accumulated water from the Dwarka underpass. The official had said that flooding in nearby Mehrampur added to the water accumulation in the tunnel, which was subsequently cleared.
The PWD’s earlier instructions under the flood-control order require its ground teams to alert the control room immediately once water stagnation in an underpass reaches 6 to 8 inches and to deploy mobile pumps.
If pumping fails to prevent the water level from rising, the control room informs the Traffic Police to halt movement through the affected underpass, the official had said.
PWD officials had said other roads and underpasses around the airport were under the jurisdiction of Delhi International Airport Limited and the National Highways Authority of India.
Rainfall on Saturday inundated the National Highway-48 stretch between IGI Airport and Dhaula Kuan, and waterlogged the Palam airport tunnel and Neem Chowk Road in Sangam Vihar. Shakarpur, Laxmi Nagar and Mehrauli-Badarpur Road were among the other affected areas.
Water also accumulated along the stretch between Rotary Chowk and DJB Chowk, the road towards Omaxe via Radha Swami Satsang Bhavan, DJB Red Light-Omaxe Road and Omaxe Road in Dwarka, covering several sectors. The NH-8 underpass was also affected.
Amid waterlogging and preparations for the upcoming BRICS Summit, the Delhi Traffic Police warned commuters of slow movement at multiple locations. The city also reported trees falling at several locations, including Mathura Road and near Malviya Nagar Metro Station, amid heavy downpour, with the PWD and the MCD receiving around 10 and eight complaints of tree falling, respectively, an official said.
About 10 calls concerning waterlogging were also received, most of which were addressed within an hour, the PWD official said. The MCD also received three complaints related to waterlogging and 20 complaints of no electricity supply during the day.
As the capital prepares for the International BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13, senior Delhi Government officials inspected the route between Bharat Mandapam and IGI Airport to identify vulnerable spots. The latest waterlogging also comes against the backdrop of a review meeting held by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on August 26 with agencies concerned.
He called for a “whole of Government” approach to the city’s waterlogging problem, asking departments and agencies to work in close coordination rather than operate in silos. Sandhu had also directed the civic agencies, including the PWD, to submit a report on waterlogging-related issues by the end of August.
