With heavy showers leading to water-logging in the Capital on Tuesday,the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has again stressed the need to restructure the citys stormwater drains. Corporation officials said on Tuesday that a comprehensive study of the existing drainage system must be arranged and a new plan devised to redesign the system wherever required. The statement comes weeks after Municipal Commissioner K S Mehra said the Capital needed a comprehensive multi-agency action plan to upgrade its drainage system.under its jurisdiction,the MCD has around 1,500 nallahs which are more than four feet deep and 2,500 which are less than four feet deep. But officials claim the city requires at least 1,500 more stormwater drains to drain out excess rain water during monsoons. There are several parts of the city,like North Delhi and the Walled City,where the drainage system is very old and needs to be fixed. Many areas are not even linked to the drainage system. The issue is very complex and needs to be handled more professionally, an MCD official from the Sanitation department said. Most new stormwater drains being upgraded for the Commonwealth Games too are problematic,officials claim,as most do not have proper or large enough inlets to drain out excess water. Stormwater drains are designed to drain out excess rain and ground water from paved streets,parking lots,sidewalks and roofs. They vary in design,from small dry wells to large municipal systems. They are fed by street gutters on most of the roads, said an official. While the new drains have smaller vents,they are blocked by debris from the construction work being undertaken across the city, he said. In 2006,the MCD had proposed to hire private consultants to restructure Delhis drainage system. The plan,though,never worked out. It is now hoping to rope in all civic agencies to devise a comprehensive new drainage plan.
