Waterlogging woes at Delhi's Pul Prahaladpur underpass to end soon: PWD officials

Recurrent waterlogging problem at Pul Prahladpur underpass in south Delhi will be solved in the next four to five months as the PWD is taking several remedial measures, including construction of a new sump and a pump house to clear water from there, officials said on Wednesday.

According to the Public Works Department (PWD) officials, a huge sump will be created at the site and an additional motor pump of 800 horse power will also be installed to remove water accumulated in the underpass.

The underpass already has two pumps with cumulative capacity of 500 horse power that are meant to clear the area for vehicles.

"The new pump will be able to clear around 60 lakh litres of water per hour and hence it will help a lot in solving the waterlogging issue at Pul Prahladpur,'' a senior PWD official told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

''Tenders for the project have been floated and the work is likely to be started in October. We aim to finish it by February next year," he added.

The official said a mechanised automated bar screen will also be set up at the sump to clear the garbage stopping the flow of water.

"With all these remedial measures, we are hoping to solve the problem of waterlogging here in the next 4-5 months. Our efforts are to ensure that the Pul Prahladpur underpass does not get inundated in the next monsoon season," the official said.

The arterial underpass is among the PWD's 50 critical waterlogging points. The underpass is located on Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, which is a crucial link between southeast and south Delhi.

The underpass gets flooded every time it rains and gets shut for vehicular movement.

PWD officials said the main cause of waterlogging is overflow of a nearby Delhi Jal Board (DJB) sewer line.

The underpass is a low-lying bowl shaped area. During heavy or moderate rains, the DJB sewer line overflows and water starts accumulating in the passage and the storm water from nearby colonies also comes here, an official said.

"We are creating a sump here so that all the water will get accumulated in that sump. With the help of high-capacity additional pumps, we will discharge this water in a SDMC nallah located 300 metres away from the site. This arrangement will solve the waterlogging problem in the underpass," the PWD official said.

Last month, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that the city's drainage system will be "overhauled" and made "world class" with the help of tailor-made solutions for different locations on lines of remedial measures taken for solving waterlogging woes at Minto Road underpass.

At Minto Road underpass, the PWD has created a new drain so that storm water doesn't merge with a DJB sewer on DDU Marg.

The PWD had also set up nine pumps, a sound alarm system and CCTVs for monitoring at Minto Road.

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