The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the city government to “act like commandos” to prevent waterlogging during the rainy season.
A Bench of Justice G.S. Sistani and Justice Jyoti Singh said since heavy rain is expected over the next 20 days, the government’s Public Works Department (PWD) should make “every endeavour” to ensure there is no waterlogging.
Traffic snarls, deaths
The court said apart from causing traffic snarls, waterlogged roads and pavements are a hazard for pedestrians, including children, as they would not see the open drains and may fall into them causing serious injuries and even death.
It directed the PWD to be prepared in advance with water pumps to prevent waterlogging at susceptible sites, like ITO, already identified by the authority.
The Bench also ordered the department to ensure all the identified areas are manned and supervised by officials so that the moment waterlogging occurs, the authority can swing into action to pump away the water and prevent traffic snarls.
It also suggested building reservoirs, or engaging tankers temporarily, at the sites where it was not feasible to pump away the water so that it can be stored and used for other purposes.
During the hearing, the court was informed that the PWD has de-silted all drains under its control and while there have been instances of waterlogging there has been no water stagnation during the recent rain.
The High Court was hearing a public interest petition initiated by it regarding the issue of waterlogging after coming across media reports which stated that the problem occurred every monsoon and caused massive traffic jams.
