Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Vinai Saxena said on Friday that the major drains in the city are being cleaned to overcome the problem of waterlogging in Delhi that has been plaguing the city every monsoon season.
The major drains, including Barapullah, Kushak, and Sunehri, have been severely neglected over the years, leading to a drastic reduction in their capacity to handle the water flow during heavy rains, he added.
Furthermore, he said these three drains alone are responsible for draining water from 24% of Delhi’s total area. However, they have been functioning at less than 10% of their capacity, exacerbating the waterlogging situation in many parts of the city.
The reason for this, officials say, is years of negligence that have led to the accumulation of silt and waste, choking the drains.
Following an inspection of the LG on August 4, a massive cleanup operation was undertaken. In the past 10 days, more than 1200 metric tons (MT) of silt have been removed from these drains. Despite concerted efforts of all concerned agencies, much work remains to be done to restore the drains to their optimal capacity fully.
The LG assured the residents of Delhi that the cleanup operation is going on war footing and a long-term solution to the problem of waterlogging would be in place. Once the cleaning of these key drains is completed, the city can expect significant relief from the recurring issue of waterlogging during the monsoon season.