• By Kamal Kumar
  • Fri, 28 Jun 2024 10:33 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

After heavy rain lashed the capital city and left the roads and localities inundated, Delhi witnessed a flurry of emergency meetings on Friday. The Delhi government held an emergency meeting to tackle the waterlogging caused by heavy downpours after the first rain of Monsoon 2024 failed the meteorological predictions. The government meeting, which was held at the secretariat, saw the participation of many senior officials and several key decisions were taken.

Soon after the meeting concluded, Delhi Minister Atishi said that it was chaired by four senior ministers of the Delhi government and plans to tackle the upcoming sessions of rain were discussed.

Key Decisions, Discussions at Delhi Govt Meet

1. A total of 200 waterlogging hotspots have been identified across the capital city, Atishi said. She further said that out of these, 40 are covered by CCTV cameras.

2. "We have identified around 200 hotspots till the last rain. Out of these, 40 hotspots are under CCTV surveillance by PWD... You have to understand that if Delhi receives rainfall of 228 mm, then it will take time to decrease the water level... Right now, Delhi has received more rainfall than the capacity of the drains. That's why we are witnessing waterlogging at several places...," she said as quoted by ANI.

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3. Traffic police and area representatives have been asked to make a list of areas prone to waterlogging, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said. He further said that some of these areas face waterlogging issues due to inter-departmental issues; therefore, secretaries have been asked to rectify the issues.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena also convened an emergency meeting of all the concerned agencies of the Delhi government, including the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Public Works Department (PWD), Irrigation and Flood Control Department (IFC), Delhi Police, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), National Disaster Management Control (NDMC), and Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

- The LG ordered the establishment of a 24x7 emergency control room, with its number made public for reporting waterlogging incidents, and the utilization of mobile pumps.

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- Directions were given for the traffic police to issue regular advisories in case of waterlogging and for the Irrigation and Flood Control Department to stay in regular contact with counterparts in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to monitor rainfall levels and discharges from the Hathnikund barrage.

“All senior officers on leave should be asked to report back on duty immediately and no leave to be sanctioned for the next two months,” Saxena said as quoted by the Indian Express.

(With agency inputs)