Not a time to point fingers: Kejriwal after rain review meeting
Speaking about the increasing water level in the Yamuna, Kejriwal says there is no flood prediction for Delhi now.
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Delhi Metro train passes above Yamuna river after heavy monsoon rains, in New Delhi, Monday, July 10, 2023. The water level in the Yamuna river in Delhi is rising and is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has said. (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore) Amid heavy rain, waterlogging and road cave-ins in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged all political parties Monday to come together to help people, saying that it was not the right time to point fingers at each other.
“I want to thank all the leaders, ministers and MLAs including those from other parties for stepping onto the ground and helping people out at this time. I know there are officials who were working all night to avoid any kind of mishap,” he said.
The Safdarjung weather station has recorded over 300 mm of rainfall so far this month, with light to moderate rainfall in parts of the city on Monday. With 2.9 mm at Safdarjung, the total at the observatory has hit 301.2 mm for July so far. This is above the ‘normal’ of 209.7 mm for the month, and more than the 286.3 mm recorded in July last year.
Light to moderate rainfall is likely on Tuesday as well, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast. Light rainfall is expected on Wednesday and Thursday as well.
Kejriwal, meanwhile, held a meeting with senior officers, cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj and Municipal Corporation of Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi to review the rising level of the Yamuna river and the ongoing situation in the city. “On July 8 and 9, Delhi saw 153 mm of rain. The rain this year broke the record of 40 years. In 1982, it was 162 mm. So this was unprecedented rain and Delhi’s system is not designed to handle this much rain,” he said.
“Delhi has handled 100-125 mm of rain over the years and these used to be cleared in an hour or so, but 153 mm of rain was unexpected. That is why public has to face problems this year,” he said.
Speaking about the increasing water level in the Yamuna, Kejriwal said, “At present, there are no flood predictions for Delhi. We are constantly in touch with the Central Flood Control Room and flood experts. The entire government is on high alert, all departments are ready to deal with any possible situation, and there is no danger of flooding. If the Yamuna water level rises to about 206m, we will start the evacuation process.” There are 41,000 people living around the Yamuna in slum clusters. The government has made relief camps and other arrangements for residents of these areas, in case of emergency, Kejriwal said.
As it is still raining, potholes have been and will be developed on roads, Kejriwal said. “Repairing potholes is not possible at present because of the rain. But we have taken a temporary measure to avoid accidents. The MCD and Public Works Department (PWD) have given directions to fill potholes with stones. Further, 680 pumps of PWD are working continuously, 100 mobile pumps were also installed along with 326 additional pumps to handle the situation,” he said.
“Drains lines are closed when construction work takes place. We have instructed officials to stop construction work immediately so that any blocked drains can be cleared out. Safai karamcharis have been deployed to keep the plastics out as they block the drain,” he said. Kejriwal further said the government had also requested traffic police to increase the force at vulnerable points.
The CM said the NDMC had been asked to conduct a detailed study on why there was waterlogging in its areas. “This is not to blame anyone, but just to check why this much waterlogging happened in the NDMC areas,” he said. The government has also sought an investigation report on the road cave-ins to ascertain the reason behind it, said the CM.
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