NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi‘s desilting plan for 2024-25 focuses on covering all unauthorised colonies and maintaining separate checks on the cleaning and clearing of internal drains that are less than 4ft deep to prevent waterlogging during the monsoon.
MCD aims to clear away 1,27,608 tonnes of waste from 713 drains that are more than 4ft deep and 82,642 tonnes from 20,884 smaller drains. “To mitigate the chances of waterlogging in unauthorised colonies due to improper outfall or blockage, etc., we have decided to cover them in the desilting plan this year,” said an MCD official. “At least 15 colonies in west Delhi have been covered and we will eventually cover all areas in east, south and north Delhi. Even the drains connecting the villages will be tackled.”
Though the smaller drains are cleaned throughout the year by MCD’s sanitation staff, the official said this year, the department of environment management services would monitor them and submit regular status reports. “Taking note of repeated complaints about clogging or congestion or non-clearing of internal drains, we decided to keep their desilting data separately.”
Till May 2, of the silt to be removed from drains deeper than 4ft, around 20.2%, or 15,865 tonnes, had been removed by the private agencies assigned for the task. “These agencies use excavators, machines and manual labour to clear the silt and dump it at the landfills. We aim to remove 78,516 tonnes in the first phase by June 15,” said the official, adding that a nodal officer has been appointed for each drain to immediately address the waterlogging issue during the monsoon. In the second phase till March next year, 47,593 tonnes of silt will be removed.
MCD is concerned at the outfall of sewer lines into the drains at many spot. The official said, “Many times, immediately after the removal of silt, drains became clogged again due to the continuous flow of sewage into them. In the given circumstances, establishing centralised sewage treatment plants won’t serve any purpose. We have expressed our concerns to DJB and other departments.”
Among the other preparations for the rainy season include arranging temporary pumps and repairing permanent pumps. “At all the 72 permanent pumping stations, staff will be engaged 24×7 during the monsoon. As for the other 465 pumping stations, teams have been formulated and sufficient pumps provided to attend to waterlogging problems. Of the 308 waterlogging locations identified by Delhi Traffic Police, the majority are owned by PWD,” said the official.
With control rooms at the headquarters and in all 12 municipal zones, waterlogging teams will take the help of the deputy commissioners to attend to complaints. Water level committees will be set up comprising the area junior engineer and local workers.
