Delhi Govt to release its first new drainage master plan since 1976, upgrading capacity to handle 70mm/hr rain and prevent waterlogging during heavy monsoons.

Delhi Govt: To address the issue of waterlogging in Delhi, a new drainage master plan will be made public. According to Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, this is the first new plan since 1976 and would have a system that can drain up to 70 mm of rainwater every hour. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta made a jab at the previous administration, claiming that they had not inherited this issue.

Union Urban Development Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Friday that a new Drainage Master Plan would be released to address Delhi’s ongoing waterlogging issue. The city’s drainage plan has not been updated thus thoroughly since 1976.

The current system can only handle 30 mm of rainfall per hour; the new plan can handle up to 70 mm. To do this, the city’s drainage system will be divided into three main areas: Barapula, Trans-Yamuna, and Najafgarh. With this modification, officials said, Delhi residents won’t have to deal with waterlogging even during heavy rainstorms during the next monsoon season.

Public Works Department (PWD) Additional Chief Secretary Naveen Chaudhary emphasized the new plan’s urgency. When Delhi had 60 lakh residents in 1976, the previous master plan was put into action. It is 2.5 crore now,” he stated.

A Promise To Avert Waterlogging

The new master plan is “a guarantee to stop waterlogging in Delhi,” according to PWD Minister Pravesh Verma. “Six months ago, when our government was formed, our Chief Minister was seen on the streets tackling waterlogging,” he said, highlighting the recent efforts of the new administration. We cleared 20 lakh gallons of silt from Delhi’s drains and made sure Minto Bridge wouldn’t flood this time.”

Delhi Govt : CM Rekha Gupta Takes on Her Forerunner

Chief Minister of Delhi Rekha Gupta took advantage of the opportunity to criticize Arvind Kejriwal, her predecessor. “Over the past 11 years, the federal government has consistently been willing to give Delhi financial support. We’ve been checking the drains ourselves since we got into power,” she stated. “I challenge Arvind Kejriwal, who was in power for 11 years, while I have been Chief Minister for six months, to a debate on any issue.”

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Gupta also attacked the previous government for the persistent problem of some agencies avoiding their maintenance obligations. A significant issue in Delhi is when departments assert that a certain drain is beyond of their purview. This multi-agency issue will be resolved,” she said.

She continued with a scathing critique, saying, “We inherited this mess from the previous AAP government; it is not an issue we created. Our government is trying to find a solution. Thanks to Mr. Kejriwal’s speeches, we will clean the Yamuna, which hasn’t been done in eleven years.”