Stop traffic if depth of rainwater at any underpass exceeds 20 cm: PWD

Ahead of the arrival of monsoon in the national capital, the Public Works Department of the Delhi government has issued an order, saying the traffic on the roads may be stopped if any underpass is flooded with over 20 centimetres of rainwater. The order issued on Tuesday by engineer in chief of PWD also directed all the executive staff to pay special attention to drainage of rainwater from all vulnerable locations, particularly underpasses during the rainy season.

''If the depth of the rainwater below the underpasses increases more than 20 cms, the traffic from both the sides of it may be stopped with the help of the traffic police to avoid any accident,'' stated the order.

The order comes a year after images of vehicles stranded at waterlogged Minto bridge underpass in the heart of the city and the drowning of a delivery van driver had led to a public outcry amid a blame game between the ruling AAP and the BJP-controlled North municipal corporation. The civic agencies in the national capital carry out desilting of drains to keep the city waterlogging-free during the monsoon season.

The Public Works Department (PWD) and the three Municipal Corporations in Delhi (MCDs) hoped that desilting of drains will be completed before the onset of monsoon by month-end.

A senior official of the Delhi government's PWD said desilting (removal of silt and garbage) from drains is ''on track'' and will be completed between June 20-25.

The order said it will be the responsibility of the executive engineers concerned to provide phone numbers of traffic police officials, and to sensitise the staff deployed at vulnerable points to immediately inform the traffic police to stop vehicular traffic.

Waterlogging on the roads, underpasses and flyovers of the city is a chronic problem during the rainy season causing hardships to the commuters and motorists every year.

With the roads and drains falling under the jurisdiction of different agencies, including the PWD and municipal corporations, the problem of waterlogging continues with one accusing the other for the civic mess.

The PWD order also directed officials to man vulnerable points and underpasses round the clock for any occurrence of waterlogging and pumping out water immediately.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)