Treat waterlogging as ‘disaster’, prioritise real-time redressal of complaints: Delhi LG

Delhi Lt Governor (LG) Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Wednesday said he has directed senior officers to treat waterlogging in the national capital as a “disaster” and mount a war-footing response.

The LG, who held a meeting with senior officers to review the situation late Tuesday evening, called for a ‘whole-of-government’ approach and asked departmental and agency heads to remain present on the ground to ensure swift redressal of citizens’ complaints.

The directions came after several weather stations in Delhi recorded more than 100 mm of rainfall on Tuesday, leaving roads waterlogged and traffic gridlocked. It was the capital’s wettest August day in two years.

“Directed that the situation be treated as a disaster requiring a war-footing response, with a ‘whole of government’ approach and every department and agency working in complete synergy rather than in silos,” Sandhu said in a post on X on Wednesday.

He directed that all heads of departments be physically present on the streets during waterlogging situations to personally oversee remedial measures on the spot, rather than monitoring the situation from their offices.

According to the officials, the LG said that waterlogging must not be allowed to occur in the first place. He ordered that the installation of pumps be expedited on a war-footing across all vulnerable points in the city.

He asked officials to prioritise real-time redressal of complaints raised through the media, social media and other platforms and stressed continuous monitoring to ensure directions are implemented and visible results delivered on the ground.

“Our priority and focus must remain clear: swift relief to citizens and a safer, better-managed Delhi,” Sandhu said.

On Tuesday, waterlogging was reported at several key locations, with traffic movement affected on stretches, including ITO towards Mandi House, Vikas Marg, Laxmi Nagar, Karol Bagh and Akshardham flyover.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Wednesday apologised to residents for rain-triggered waterlogging in several areas under its jurisdiction and said it would strengthen its systems to deal with such situations in the future.

NDMC chairman Manoj Kumar Dwivedi said in a post on X that the civic body was generally able to clear waterlogging within 15-20 minutes, but the water took more than an hour to drain at three to four locations.