New Delhi: A contingency plan has been prepared to tackle waterlogging and flood situations at the G20 venue and other critical locations, in anticipation of potential rainfall during the upcoming two-day event in the national capital next month. As per the plan people living along the floodplains of the Yamuna River will be moved if rain in the upper catchment areas of the river leads to a rise during the event. The strategy involves deploying a battery of heavy-duty 50-horsepower pumps mounted on tractors to eliminate excess water. Mechanical road sweeping (MRS) vehicles, equipped with powerful water jetting machines, will be used to cleanse mud and silt from the sides of roads. Additionally, a ‘super sucker’ will be employed to unclog drains and sewer lines. According to officials quoted by PTI.
These machines will operate 24/7 in two 12-hour shifts, overseen by a sanitary inspector, an assistant, and a probationary IAS and DANICS officer. The responsibility for supervising these vehicles and personnel lies with the SDMs of the respective areas, as stated by officials.
“We have identified five to six pucca structures in every district where the people will be shifted in case of any contingency. There is no flood warning yet but we are keeping these ready… This way people can be kept away from the streets and will also be better taken care of during adverse weather,” said Anil Banka, district magistrate (East), who is the nodal officer for the evacuation and rescue operations in the city.
Graded Water Evacuation Plan At Pragati Maidan
A tunnel that leads to Ring Road, which will be the main Summit site, was submerged in water after a downpour last month, forcing the LG to come up with a graded water evacuation plan.
This plan involves gathering water in small reservoirs with a capacity of 1,000 liters each, which is subsequently pumped into reservoirs with a 2,000-liter capacity. Further, the water is transferred to reservoirs with a larger capacity of 50,000 liters. Eventually, the accumulated water is directed into a nearby drain for discharge into the Yamuna River, according to officials. To assess the readiness, Delhi LG V K Saxena conducted visits to several sites prone to waterlogging on Wednesday, as reported by a Raj Niwas official.
Authorities Identified Structures To Shift People
According to District Magistrate (East) Anil Banka, the authorities have identified five to six structures where the people can be shifted in case of any contingency. “We have identified five to six pucca structures in every district where the people will be shifted in case of any contingency. There is no flood warning yet but we are keeping these ready… This way people can be kept away from the streets and will also be better taken care of during adverse weather,” he said. Banka is also the nodal officer for the evacuation and rescue operations in the city.
G20 Preparation Review Meeting
In a recent G20 preparation review meeting, the LG had directed officials to come up with a contingency plan to deal with heavy waterlogging around the international convention centre at Pragati Maidan, the venue of the summit, as well as Rajghat, delegates’ hotels, and other strategic locations, in case of a heavy downpour in the city. During his inspection, the LG covered the route from Pragati Maidan Gate No 5 on Bhairon Marg to Rajghat and reviewed the flood management.
“We’ve come a long way since the flooding in July. Checked our preparedness for preventing water logging in the Pragati Maidan tunnel towards ring road. “Extra water is being successfully pumped out through a triple grade reservoir system of 1, 3 and 50K liters into the main drain,” the LG wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
In another post, the Delhi LG stated that from one location to the other, uneven sidewalks, open manholes, uncovered drains, waterlogged ditches and well mouths in disrepair are common sight on the roads and the authorities are trying to fix it immediately. Notably, the G20 Summit will be held on September 9-10.
Rain Havoc In July
In July, heightened rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand resulted in an elevated release of water, causing the Yamuna River in Delhi to surpass the critical threshold of 205.33 meters on July 10th. The river remained at this elevated level for a span of 15 consecutive days.
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