Cracking the whip, the Delhi Government has cancelled all leaves for officers at the Junior Engineer (JE) level and above in the Delhi Jal Board, Public Works Department (PWD) and Irrigation & Flood Control (I&FC) departments until 15th September 2025 to complete the desilting of drains and take necessary measures to prevent waterlogging before the upcoming monsoon. Leave will be allowed only for serious medical emergencies with senior approval.
The issue has become a recurring feature during monsoons due to multiple factors, including old drains and silt accumulation. Delhi gets inundated every monsoon with waterlogging and flooding due to incomplete desilting work and poor drainage management system on the ground. Last year, on the first day of monsoon, roads of most parts of South Delhi — AIIMS, Airport road, Dhaula Kuan, Jangpura, Lajpat Nagar, ITO — saw heavy waterlogging leading to traffic snarls. Last year, three students in Old Rajinder Nagar after they were trapped in a flooded basement of a coaching centre. In 2023, the Ring Road, ISBT Kashmere Gate, ITO, IP Road, Pragati Maidan Tunnel falling near Yamuna River inundated for three days, disrupting vehicular movement.
“It is hereby ordered that leave of any kind will not be approved or recommended at any level of JE and above till 15th September, 2025 except in case of extreme medical emergency of the officer or immediate family members. Leave under exceptional circumstances will only be approved at the level of Principal Secretary/Additional Chief Secretary”, reads the order issued by Naveen Kumar Chaudhary Additional Chief Secretary, from the General Administration Department of Delhi government.
“Every year due to severe problems of waterlogging, bad road conditions and flooding across the city during monsoon, people suffer a lot. As the monsoon is approaching fast, work has to be carried out on war footing by way of completion of desilting of drains, necessary measures to prevent waterlogging and flooding, repairs of roads and removal of unwanted materials on roads and drains across the city. Even during monsoon, all the concerned departments have to be on alert mode to meet any emerging challenge,” said the order. Recently at a review meeting, the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was informed that in 2023 and 2024, Delhi Traffic Police has identified 335 waterlogging sites under PWD in Delhi, out of which work has been completed at 284 sites, while instructions have been given to complete the work at the remaining places expeditiously.
Of the 335 waterlogging points under PWD, 232 short-term solutions and 52 long-term projects have already been completed. Work is ongoing at the remaining 51 points, which are being addressed on a priority basis.
Under this, Junior Engineers and Assistant Engineers have been assigned responsibilities as designated officers at the field level, while Executive Engineers have been appointed as reviewing officers to monitor these works. All nodal officers have been told to submit their detailed action plans within a week. The 7 most critical waterlogging points will be directly monitored by the Principal Secretary and Engineer-in-Chief, PWD, ensuring robust oversight and accountability.
Under this, work is being carried out to strengthen 101 roads under PWD, which have been directed to be completed before the monsoon. Additionally, repair work for potholes on the capital’s roads is also being completed on a priority basis
Water and PWD Minister Parvesh Verma has said that all the 1,400 km of drains under the Public Works Department are to be desilted by May 31, and other agencies are also working to clean the drains under their jurisdiction.
Verma also said that engineers were deputed as incharges to ensure no waterlogging occurs at around 345 of the identified waterlogging spots under PWD, warning that strict action would follow if they fail.
The primary issue lies in Delhi’s antiquated drain design. The current infrastructure was designed to handle only 50 mm of rainwater. Any rainfall exceeding this threshold overwhelms the system, leading to waterlogging. Additionally, the ‘Drainage Master Plan,’ which could potentially address these shortcomings, remains unapproved and pending for decades.
According to an anonymous PWD official, the existing drainage master plan dates back to 1976, designed to accommodate the city’s population at that time and handle 50 mm of rain within 24 hours. However, during a recent downpour of 228 mm, Delhi was submerged, resulting in 11 fatalities. The PWD manages approximately 2,064.08 km of drains, accounting for 55 per cent of the city’s total drainage network, yet fails to mitigate the annual urban waterlogging crisis during monsoons.