Heavy rainfall triggers waterlogging across Delhi; govt vows swift action

New Delhi, May 2 The national Capital witnessed severe waterlogging in multiple areas on Friday morning as unseasonal heavy rainfall lashed the city, disrupting traffic and daily life.

Among the affected locations was Minto Bridge, a notorious waterlogging hotspot.

Visuals from across the city, including DND Flyway, Akshardham, ITO, and Sangam Vihar’s Neem Chowk Road, showed knee-deep water and long queues of vehicles, highlighting the city's recurring drainage issues.

Commuters faced significant delays as water stagnation slowed traffic movement in many areas.

Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma visited several affected sites at dawn to assess the situation. In a post on X, he said, "Today, due to unseasonal record rainfall, water stagnated in some quantity at many places in Delhi. From 5:30 am onwards, I went to many places and took stock of the situation. On going to Minto Bridge, I saw that all the four pumps were working and the operator was also alert. A pipe had burst and I have been asked to supervise repairs. In view of the monsoon, the cleaning of drains is being done continuously by PWD, MCD, DJB, NDMC, IFC."

Despite the presence of pumping systems at Minto Bridge, a burst pipe contributed to partial flooding, prompting swift instructions for repair.

This incident comes just days after the Public Works Department (PWD) issued an official order on April 28, identifying seven chronically-waterlogged locations in Delhi ahead of the monsoon season. These include Minto Bridge, Pul Prahladpur Underpass, Ring Road opposite WHO, Jahangirpuri Metro Station Road, Under Zakhira Flyover, Loni Road Golchakkar, and Karala Kanjhawla.

To mitigate risks, the PWD has placed these areas under direct supervision of the Engineer-in-Chief, with designated officers personally accountable for waterlogging prevention. Failure to act promptly could result in disciplinary action.

With the monsoon approaching, authorities are intensifying drain-cleaning operations citywide.

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