Ahead of monsoon, state accelerates flood readiness

Haryana’s Financial Commissioner for Revenue and Disaster Management Sumita Misra today reviewed the state’s preparedness ahead of the upcoming monsoon.

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Chairing the meeting with all Deputy Commissioners, Misra emphasised a proactive and strategic approach to flood mitigation, calling for site inspections, real-time monitoring and swift execution of all preparedness measures.

Misra directed Deputy Commissioners to ensure comprehensive contingency planning, including ground-level mock drills. She instructed officers to map all pumping infrastructure and manpower, identify flood-prone hotspots and designate responsible officers for each critical area.

Attendance and deployment of pump operators and support staff are to be closely monitored with special focus on preventing urban waterlogging.

Misra further directed the Deputy Commissioners to oversee the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and Urban Local Bodies (ULB) to ensure cleanliness of storm water drainage systems in both urban and rural areas under their purview.

It was informed during the meeting that Haryana has significantly ramped up drain de-silting activities, achieving around 78 per cent clearance of the targeted 4,097.41 km drain network as of June 10, a notable rise from 19.2 per cent recorded on May 27. Misra set a firm deadline of June 20 to achieve 100 per cent drain clearance.

The review noted that 672 out of 868 drains have been de-silted for FY 2025 through a coordinated effort involving departmental machinery, MGNREGA workers and e-tendering processes. The Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (LRDC) reported 82.51 per cent completion and Bhakra Water Services (BWS) has achieved 76.62 per cent.

The Irrigation and Water Resources Department showcased its preparedness with a robust inventory of 553.22 km of HDPE pipelines and 2,401 pumps including diesel, electric and VT mobile units ready for rapid deployment.

Secretary, Irrigation, Mohammed Shayin apprised the meeting of ongoing efforts to safeguard the state’s population and farmland. The department is currently executing 209 short-term flood protection projects valued at Rs 282.95 crore, most of which are scheduled for completion by June 30, he added.