Delhi rains: LG cancels officials' leaves for 2 months over waterlogging

Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena on Friday, 28 June, took stock of the situation in Delhi after several hours of rain brought the city to a standstill. He has directed officials to set up an emergency control room and deploy static pumps to address waterlogging reports.

Chairing an emergency meeting, the LG said that all senior officers on leave should be asked to report back to duty immediately and no leave should be sanctioned for the next two months, according to his office.

Saxena also took note of the lack of preparedness and an emergency response system in the national capital, the LG office said.

Senior officers of civic agencies like the Delhi Jal Board, the PWD (public works department), the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the DDA (Delhi Development Authority), the irrigation and flood control department and the Delhi Police attended the meeting.

Saxena noted that de-silting of the capital's drains had not been completed and the flood control order was yet to be issued. He asked the officials to undertake the de-silting work on an emergent basis over the next week, per the LG's office.

The LG asked officials to set up an emergency control room for waterlogging complaints. The control room is to be manned 24X7 by senior officials, it said.

He also directed various agencies to deploy static pumps and field staff to drain water from the roads.

The irrigation and flood control department was directed to remain in touch with their counterparts in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, to assess rainfall levels and discharges from the Hathnikund barrage, officials said.

They said the LG had also directed the revenue department to activate the disaster response cell under the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in case of excess rainfall and seek assistance from the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) for any emergency measures required during the monsoon.