Citing PDW sources, TOI reported that waterlogging took place in Prahladpur, Laxmi Nagar, Mundka, Anand Parbat, Moti Nagar, and Loni Road.
Social media users posted video from other places. as well. Former Delhi chief minister Atitshi posted videos showing knee-deep water at the Municipal Girls’ School in Tikri Kalan, captioning them: “BJP’s four-engine govt should be ashamed. Water has entered up to knee level in the Nagar Nigam Girls’ School in Tikri Kalan, but BJP doesn’t care.”
An MCD official, however, said water inside the school was collected because of the lack of drainage on the road and PWD carrying out infrastructure work there. “We have made a temporary slope with soil stacks to ensure water won’t get inside the complex again. However, there is a desperate need for making permanent arrangements,” the official added.
There is also a video that has gone viral where a man is seen swimming through a waterlogged street. Another video shows a woman boating in east Delhi and an AAP supporter rowing an inflatable tub, all pointing at localised failures in drainage.
The waterlogging has taken place despite claims from officials that they have unclogged stormwater drains. According to a July 9 progress report, 1,892km of Delhi’s 2,158km of PWD-maintained drains were cleaned for an 88.5% completion rate, with 12,587 tonnes of silt removed. The final date to complete the cleaning drive was July 31. However, zone-wise data reveals sharp disparities. The east zone reported 100% desilting, south zone was nearly done, and the north zone lagged, with 9 of 13 projects yet to reach even 90% completion on July 9.On Wednesday, PWD officials claimed that 93 per cent of the work was completed, with pumps deployed in flood-prone areas to ensure smoother drainage.
“Slip roads in certain parts are now being tackled. Zone-wise, west Delhi is where the gap still exists,” an official told TOI.
A recent claim by the MCD said it had cleared 1,70,620 tonnes of silt between Jan 1 and June 30 from drains, surpassing its target of 1,26,474 tonnes.
Despite this, waterlogging was reported in several internal roads on Wednesday.
Residents in various localities in east Delhi, including Vinod Nagar, Pandav Nagar and Chander Nagar, complained about inundation on internal lanes.
In south Delhi, Sangam Vihar, Badarpur, and Sainik Farms faced similar problems, while in central Delhi, Sadar Bazar and neighbouring areas reported water accumulation, albeit for a limited time.
