MCD officials admit flaws in the city's drainage and sewage systems lead to waterlogging problems
MCD officials admit flaws in the city's drainage and sewage systems lead to waterlogging problems
Monsoons have finally arrived and so have the perennial problems. Since Sunday, the city has witnessed a tremendous change in weather conditions, with intermittent rains, occasionally accompanied with gusts and thunder. But with the comfort from the hot and humid conditions of the summers, also comes huge traffic jams in the city, a large drop in road and living conditions and onset of large number of health problems. 
Ripple effect:Waterlogging at Dhaula Kuan during monsoons
last year. File pic
The consensus is, and has been for years now, that the need of the hour is a refurbished drainage system. But according to the officials, it's really difficult to reach that solution. This year, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has prepared a list of 100 chokepoints during the monsoon, some of which are heavily congested areas such as Minto Road, Kashmere Gate, Arya Samaj Road, Mathura Road, Sarai Kale Khan and Aurobindo Marg.u00a0
Population problem
"Though we have a drainage system, which is sufficient enough, but with increasing population there is need to improve it. I am not passing the buck, but we don't have a proper sewage system which is a major contributing factor. Household waste is another factor which is affecting the drainage system. Sewage lines should not be mixed with drainage system," said Jagdish Mamgain, chairman, Works Department, MCD.
Minto Road bridge is a chokepoint. PIC/Subhash Barolia
"Poor drainage system of the city is the root cause for all the problems. It is not just a problem of one agency. That is just one of the issues. Multiplicity of agencies controlling the systems is also a contributing factor. This is an important matters and it needs to be settled soon as the rainy season is already here," said Dr VK Monga, chairman, Health Committee, MCD.
Big plans, no action
"This is a huge problem. The officials have been planning it for a long time, but no solution has come forth. There is a shortage of staff as well as of funds. I would like to highlight the issue in our next standing committee meeting," said Jai Kishan Sharma, Leader of Opposition, MCD.
"Looking at the present conditions, it is really impossible to prepare a proper drainage system. None of the drains have been constructed in an efficient way. No planning has been done before preparing them. There is no clear way, all the drains mixed up with the sewage system. It is impossible to re-construct the full city," said an official on the condition of anonymity.
With MCD being split into three parts, officials feel that the problem is only going to increase. "This division will worsen the situation. Already there is no proper drainage system. And with the corporation being divided into three parts, there will be no one responsible for the problem. All the officials will just shrug away their responsibilities," said another official who wished to remain anonymous. According to MCD officials, it will take around 2 to 3 thousand crore rupees to ensure a proper drainage system in the city.
Ready to go?
On June 27, Delhi Mayor Rajni Abbi reviewed the preparations of MCD with regard to handling waterlogging during the monsoon. She held the meeting with senior MCD officials and all the 12 Deputy Commissioners. Abbi said the MCD has at its disposal 105 permanent water pumps working at 95 per cent capacity to get rid of stagnant water. Besides the permanent water pumps, MCD has deployed 625 portable water pumps to drain out water. Abbi said she has issued directions to all district commissioners to deploy adequate manpower and equipment without delay. The Deputy Commissioners have been asked to purchase pumps and pipes in case they felt the equipment did not perform properly, she added. The civic agency is planning to order 13 new super sucker machines used for cleaning drains, a demand pending for a long time. The mayor asked commissioner KS Mehra to procure these machines soon.
Three cheers!
Monsoon arrived in Delhi on Sunday, three days ahead of the scheduled date. Rain gauges recorded 72 mm rain at Narela, 52 mm at Pitampura, 8 mm at Najafgarh, 2.4 mm at Safdarjung and 2 mm at Delhi University. In 2010, monsoon had arrived a week late, on July 5. Delhi had received 772.3 mm of rainfall last year, more than the average of 645.7 mm. The earliest onset of monsoon over Delhi during the past 30 years was on June 15, 2008 and while the most delayed onset was on July 26, 1987. The Met department said a normal monsoon is in store, with Northwest India expected to receive around 97 per cent of the average rainfall.
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