As monsoon nears, Mayor says desilting work on track

Anshita Mehra

New Delhi, June 18

As Delhi braces for the monsoon, Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Tuesday said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has completed desilting of 92 per cent of drains that are more than 4-ft deep.

Oppn flays govt

The Mayor can make numerous claims because the Mayor’s statements are merely on paper, while the ground reality is that the drains managed by the MCD and the Delhi Government have not been cleaned. — Raja Iqbal Singh, former Mayor

Oberoi said the MCD had implemented the first phase of monsoon action plan to prevent waterlogging in the forthcoming monsoon.

Oberoi said, “The MCD has 713 drains that are over 4-ft deep and 20,000 drains that are less than four feet deep. The MCD has completed desilting of 92 per cent of drains that are more than 4-ft deep and 85 per cent of drains that are under 4-ft deep.”

Highlighting the infrastructure in place to combat potential waterlogging, she said, “The MCD has 70-80 permanent electric pumps and nearly 500 temporary electric pumps. We have established control rooms at the headquarter level and across all 12 zones to address any issues faced by people during the rainy season. Quick response teams have been deployed with a special focus on areas vulnerable to waterlogging.”

Despite these assurances, former Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh criticised the AAP government’s efforts, claiming that many drains remain clogged and pose a severe risk of waterlogging and pollution.

He accused the government of failing to meet its cleaning deadlines. “The Mayor can make numerous claims because the Mayor’s statements are merely on paper, while the ground reality is that the drains managed by the MCD and the Delhi Government have not been cleaned,” Singh asserted. He pointed out that the initial deadline for drain cleaning was May 30, which was later extended to June 15.