As Delhi was lashed with heavy rain on Wednesday morning, causing waterlogging in many parts of the city, the Delhi High Court was seized of the matter, forcing it to remark that it was the reason behind all the cases of dengue and chikungunya.
The court was presented with photographs of waterlogged streets in the Capital and a choked Kushak nallah.
“All this dengue and chikungunya is all happening because of this,” said a Bench headed by Justice B. D. Ahmed as it held up a photograph showing waterlogging in south Delhi and the Kushak nallah, which continues to be silted and clogged despite court’s repetitive orders to the Delhi government and the MCD to clean it.
Manjeet Singh Chugh, the vice-president of the New Delhi South Extension RWA, brought before the court photographs of Wednesday morning as it rained heavily in the Capital.
He showed how almost all parts of south Delhi were waterlogged and attributed it largely to a silted and chocked Kushak nallah, which is full of waste and debris due to construction of Barapullah phase III.
“Do you see this?” asked the Bench to the Delhi government counsel, showing them the photographs.
“We are putting all departments to notice that they should clear any clogging of water whether it is with regard to SDMC or DJB or PWD,” the Bench ordered.
It had on July 27 given three weeks’ time to the Delhi government to clean it. A large part of the nallah is under Delhi government’s PWD and some parts under MCD.
“Outside the High Court also, there is waterlogging,” Mr Singh told the Bench.
At this, the Bench remarked, “What are you talking? Outside the High Court. This morning even the road outside the Vice-President’s house was also waterlogged.”
In June, the High Court had asked all the agencies concerned to clean not just the nallah but also all the drains carrying the storm water.
“What do we do?” said the Bench as the PWD and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation continued to claim that the nallah was clean.
The Kushak drain is six-km long and carries sewer water from Mehrauli, Sangam Vihar, INA, Defence Colony, Greater Kailash, AIIMS and nearby areas.
