After rain inundates Delhi, govt sets up control room to monitor waterlogging

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 28

The Delhi Government convened an emergency meeting on Friday in response to heavy rainfall that severely affected the Capital.

‘25 per cent of entire monsoon rain in 24 hrs’

Delhi receives 800 mm of rain during the entire monsoon. But in the last 24 hours, about 25 per cent of the entire monsoon rain has occurred. Due to such unexpected rain, there has been a problem of waterlogging at many places. — Atishi, pwd minister

Chaired by Ministers Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Gopal Rai, and Imran Hussain, the meeting at the Delhi Secretariat included senior officials from key departments such as the Public Works Department (PWD), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

The Safdarjung Observatory recorded 228.1 mm of rainfall in 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Friday, more than three times the June rainfall average of 74.1 mm.

The AAP-led government promptly established a 24-hour joint control room and urged residents to report waterlogging issues via designated helpline numbers.

BJP, Cong assail AAP

• The BJP on Friday flayed the AAP government over the chaos caused due to the heavy rain.
• AAP's INDIA bloc partner Congress too trained guns at the party blaming failure of its government in Delhi.
• Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that after three months of chaos faced by Delhi due to water shortage, the AAP government's failure in preparing for the monsoon season shows it has no moral right to remain in power.

PWD Minister Atishi highlighted that Delhi experienced its first monsoon rain, with the Safdarjung Meteorological Observatory recording 228 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours. She noted that this amount represents 25 per cent of Delhi’s total monsoon rainfall of 800 mm.

She outlined several immediate actions, including establishment of a joint emergency control room to monitor and respond to waterlogging round the clock; inspection and readiness assessment of all permanent and mobile water pumps to ensure effective drainage; deployment of quick response teams to address waterlogging issues on the ground; installation of recyclers in every DJB zone to facilitate quick cleaning of drains in case of blockages due to silt accumulation.

Additionally, Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj announced the deployment of three senior officers in eight-hour shifts at the emergency control room. He emphasised coordination among major water-related departments and instructed them to review and repair pumps by 10 pm to enhance operational efficiency during unexpected heavy rainfall.

Bharadwaj also directed all departments to form dedicated quick response teams and requested inputs from traffic police, MLAs and councillors on potential waterlogging spots in their areas. The Chief Secretary will oversee the consolidation of this information and issue necessary directives.

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