Even as unprecedented scenes from the national capital converge on TV and social media amid maximum monsoon rain in a day in 40 years, with large swathes of the city submerged under water, be it north, south, east, west on central, as heavy rain continues to lash Delhi and Yamuna river on the rise breaching its banks causing severe waterlogging, city mayor Shelley Oberoi commits that the civic body, MCD, is prepared to take on the monsoon.
Since Saturday, Delhi has witnessed heavy rain that has caused waterlogging problems around the city and NCR regions mostly towards the Haryana borders.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Oberoi claims is working 24×7 to control waterlogging problems in the city, despite this city facing severe problems leading to house collapse and more than one life lost, as the Delhi Fire Service is on emergency calls throughout the area. 6 other people also died in other separate incidents.
Mayor Oberoi told the media on Monday that the MCD is prepared to deal with the monsoon and waterlogging. However, due to heavy downpour the city has witnessed unprecedented waterlogging leaving the civic body’s efforts ineffective.
She also stated that to address this problem, control rooms have been set up in all 12 zones of the MCD, which are working around the clock. On receiving complaints of waterlogging, temporary pumps are being installed immediately to reduce the water collected in the area. “Meanwhile, we have cancelled the leaves of all staff working on the ground,” she added.
She said the Delhi government and the MCD, whose reigns went to the Aam Aadmi Party last year, are now a double engine administration working in unison to chalk out a detailed plan and find solutions to the problem as more heavy rain is forecast in the coming week.
Vineet Tiwari a resident of Lakshmi Nagar informed The Daily Guardian that the civic body needed to be more active on the ground. He added that the problem of waterlogging has been a persistent issue for the last 20 years in Delhi. “No government had worked to improve the drainage facilities of the city,” he said.
Due to heavy downpours, waterlogging was reported from the Pandav Nagar underpass, Lakshmi Nagar, Purana Quila Road, Connaught Place, the Sarita Vihar Chowk, Pragati Maidan on Mathura Road, near Nizamuddin Khatta, Mayur Vihar Phase-2, and many more.
There was waterlogging in the carriageway from Nangloi towards Najafgarh and vice-versa due to waterlogging near Satyabhama Hospital, besides Tikri Kalan, as per traffic advisory. Traffic is affected on Aurobindo marg in the carriageway from Yusuf sarai towards IIT and vice-versa due to waterlogging near U-turn Green park.
On Sunday the Delhi Traffic Police issued a list of 26 areas with heavy waterlogging asking commuters to avoid all locations.
Palak, a resident of Mayur Vihar, said that Mayur Vihar phase 2 has witnessed waterlogging which shows how the Delhi government has failed to deliver on its promises.