Rs 1.3-crore plan to fix Delhi's ITO waterlogging this season

After years of repeated flooding at one of Delhi’s most vulnerable traffic junctions, the Public Works Department (PWD) has drawn up a fresh plan to strengthen the ITO pumping system by upgrading the pump house at an estimated cost of Rs 1.3 crore to improve drainage during heavy rainfall.

The work has been given a three-month deadline and comes even as the authorities say the hotspot did not witness waterlogging during the previous spell of rain. The latest intervention is aimed at making the system more reliable, particularly during extreme weather, after several attempts since 2023 failed to provide a lasting solution.

Under the plan, the ITO pump house will get an all-weather substation to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the pumping system even during heavy rain and strong winds, when power disruptions have often affected operations. Automatic digital alarm systems will also be installed to improve monitoring and response.

The upgrade builds on earlier work carried out by the PWD. Last year, Drain No. 5, which runs from Azad Bhavan to the IP Estate area, was reconstructed. The drain serves an area that houses several government offices and is connected to the ITO pumping station, where four permanent pumps are installed.

The ITO pump house caters to drainage from Vikas Marg, the area around Supreme Court Metro station and the Tilak Bridge underpass, all of which are waterlogging hotspots. Officials expect the modernisation to improve water evacuation across these stretches as well as around the ITO intersection.

Despite repeated measures, flooding has continued over the past few years in parts of ITO and Ring Road near Indraprastha. One of the reasons identified is the old Delhi sewer line passing through the area. The sewer line frequently overflows and, during rainfall, sewage spills out through manholes, worsening water accumulation on the roads.

The authorities believe the upgraded infrastructure will help keep the pumps operational during intense rainfall, when they have previously stopped functioning, allowing faster drainage from the surrounding roads.

The ITO remains one of the Capital’s most flood-prone locations because it combines several risk factors. It is a major traffic junction, houses several government offices, lies in a low-lying area close to the Yamuna and receives discharge from multiple drainage networks. The city’s Drainage Master Plan has also identified the ITO bridge and the adjoining areas as locations that face recurring waterlogging.

Areas around the Delhi Secretariat, Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, PWD headquarters, Rajghat crossing, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, WHO building, Indraprastha Metro station, Mathura Road link connecting to the Pragati Maidan tunnel and the tunnel approach from Purana Qila Road are among the stretches that have repeatedly experienced flooding during the monsoon.