- विज्ञापन -
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta acknowledged on Monday that issues related to rainwater collection in the city were much less severe than in previous years. She admitted that waterlogging had caused problems in certain areas earlier, mainly due to three instances of record-heavy rainfall.
Speaking to the media, CM Gupta stated that the Delhi government and other agencies had removed a historic total of 30 lakh metric tonnes of silt to prepare the drainage system for the monsoon season. She described the desilting efforts as unprecedented and assured that officials responsible for problematic spots would be held accountable.
Gupta emphasized that although waterlogging has been a recurring problem in Delhi, this year’s situation was brought under control despite three record-breaking rainfall events. She praised the prompt drainage of water from all drains within an hour and credited the vigilance of various departments for limiting waterlogging.
She further expressed confidence in ongoing monitoring efforts, promising to enhance infrastructure to better manage rainwater flow. Gupta explained that during sudden rains, large quantities of water may take around an hour to drain, but there have been no prolonged waterlogging issues causing major problems, and she assured that such problems would be managed effectively in the future.
Her comments come amid criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which accused the BJP government after a thunderstorm on Sunday night led to waterlogging in some areas. According to IMD data, Delhi experienced wind speeds of up to 82 km/h and received 81.2 mm of rainfall in just six hours overnight.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena praised the Gupta-led administration’s efforts in desilting drains and preparing the city’s drainage infrastructure to manage rainwater during the monsoon. He shared videos of water flowing through large drains and acknowledged that the decades-long neglect would take time to fully resolve, but noted that the current government’s governance efforts were encouraging.
