A blame game started on Tuesday even as people were plagued by multiple problems due to the heavy rain over the weekend. Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena said the city faced the “annual ritual” of waterlogging as drains were not properly cleaned, prompting a sharp reaction from the AAP government.
Delhi Water Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj slammed the LG, saying he is blaming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government even though he had earlier claimed that the drains were desilted and the Yamuna was cleaned.
Taking stock of the rising water level of the river at the Yamuna Bazar area, Saxena said preparations should have been made beforehand to deal with the unprecedented rain. “The people of Delhi are hassled due to waterlogging that has become an annual ritual. Proper drain cleaning and water harvesting are not being done. These have not been done for years, which is why waterlogging happens every time. “Desilting of the Yamuna and the Najafgarh drains should be regularly done to increase their water-holding capacity. Since it was not done, Delhi was waterlogged,” Saxena told reporters. He also said Delhi’s population has risen by 50 lakh since 2014, but planning was not done accordingly for sewer lines and drainage, which has caused waterlogging. “It is unfortunate, and I will try to ensure that attention is paid to it so that people are relieved of these difficulties faced by them every year,” the LG said. Bharadwaj slammed the LG in a series of tweets, saying he should not indulge in “dirty politics” when people expect relief.
