New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Monday called for a single agency to manage the city’s stormwater drains so that “buck stops there” in case of waterlogging.
A bench of acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora flagged several gaps in tackling waterlogging in the city and asked chief secretary Naresh Kumar to deploy a single agency, adding that lack of coordination among multiple authorities made the issue challenging.
“Look at the new tunnel made. It is getting flooded. It was closed because of flooding. It is 1km from the Yamuna. So the situation is very challenging to deal with. Why can’t we deploy one agency all over Delhi to take care of stormwater drains?” HC asked Kumar, who gave a virtual presentation on waterlogging, drainage master plan and rainwater harvesting.
The court said responsibility should be given completely to either Public Works Department (PWD), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) or irrigation and floods (I&D) department. Citing the example of waterlogging on Mathura Road, it said several agencies, including MCD, PWD and New Delhi Municipal Council, were involved for just a 1km stretch.
Kumar said over 50% of stormwater drains were under PWD, followed by MCD and I&D department, and several steps had been taken to tackle waterlogging. The court highlighted the “real problem is that multiple agencies are working”, adding that the buck should stop at any one agency.
“It is better that you give it to PWD or irrigation and flood control, whoever is the specialised agency. Transfer all to one department,” it advised the top bureaucrat while hearing two suo motu petitions on waterlogging and the issue of rainwater harvesting and easing traffic jams in the city during monsoon and other periods.
It had earlier directed the chief secretary and the finance secretary to appear before it virtually and explain how they intended to tackle waterlogging and if the drainage master plan had been prepared. During the hearing, Kumar said 207 locations were identified by the traffic police as waterlogging locations in 2022 and permanent solutions had been implemented at four locations, including the Minto Bridge area.
HC also flagged the issue of “unauthorised polluting industries” operating from residential areas, and observed that since 1995, there had been no new project for constructing drains, including their remodelling, and that a “third-party audit” was also missing.
A bench of acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora flagged several gaps in tackling waterlogging in the city and asked chief secretary Naresh Kumar to deploy a single agency, adding that lack of coordination among multiple authorities made the issue challenging.
“Look at the new tunnel made. It is getting flooded. It was closed because of flooding. It is 1km from the Yamuna. So the situation is very challenging to deal with. Why can’t we deploy one agency all over Delhi to take care of stormwater drains?” HC asked Kumar, who gave a virtual presentation on waterlogging, drainage master plan and rainwater harvesting.
The court said responsibility should be given completely to either Public Works Department (PWD), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) or irrigation and floods (I&D) department. Citing the example of waterlogging on Mathura Road, it said several agencies, including MCD, PWD and New Delhi Municipal Council, were involved for just a 1km stretch.
Kumar said over 50% of stormwater drains were under PWD, followed by MCD and I&D department, and several steps had been taken to tackle waterlogging. The court highlighted the “real problem is that multiple agencies are working”, adding that the buck should stop at any one agency.
“It is better that you give it to PWD or irrigation and flood control, whoever is the specialised agency. Transfer all to one department,” it advised the top bureaucrat while hearing two suo motu petitions on waterlogging and the issue of rainwater harvesting and easing traffic jams in the city during monsoon and other periods.
It had earlier directed the chief secretary and the finance secretary to appear before it virtually and explain how they intended to tackle waterlogging and if the drainage master plan had been prepared. During the hearing, Kumar said 207 locations were identified by the traffic police as waterlogging locations in 2022 and permanent solutions had been implemented at four locations, including the Minto Bridge area.
HC also flagged the issue of “unauthorised polluting industries” operating from residential areas, and observed that since 1995, there had been no new project for constructing drains, including their remodelling, and that a “third-party audit” was also missing.