Delhi LG Inspects Drains and Barapulla Bridge Following Waterlogging
Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, inspected the Barapulla, Kushak, and Sunehri drains at Nizamuddin on Sunday, August 4th, following severe waterlogging in the national capital last week. The inspection came after over 300 complaints of waterlogging were received by civic agencies and Delhi Police.
Heavy rains in Delhi caused significant waterlogging, leading to additional deaths and disruptions. Three students tragically died in a waterlogged basement at an IAS coaching institute in Old Rajinder Nagar.
Saxena expressed his dismay at the state of the drains, calling the situation "appalling and shameful." He emphasized the need for urgent corrective measures to ensure the smooth flow of water and mitigate future flooding.
He highlighted that the three arterial drains, under the responsibility of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FCD) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), had not been de-silted and unclogged for years. This neglect significantly reduced their water carrying capacity.
Saxena further stated that only a fraction of the culverts under the Barapulla, Sunehri, and Kushak drains were open, with the remaining choked due to years of neglect. This resulted in backflow and flooding in nearby colonies.
He also inspected the ASI-protected Barapulla bridge, which he found to be heavily encroached upon. Only five of the 12 culverts under the bridge were partially open, with the rest choked due to lack of desilting.
Saxena instructed his accompanying officials to immediately desilt and declog the drains, remove debris and construction waste hindering water flow, and clear encroachments on the Barapulla bridge. He also directed them to restore the bridge to its original state within a week.