NEW DELHI: The Public Works Department (PWD) is planning to install CCTV cameras at South Delhi’s Moolchand and Pul Prahladpur underpasses to enhance monitoring of waterlogging hotspots, officials announced on Friday.
The installation of CCTV cameras will allow real-time monitoring of the situation at the underpasses from the PWD’s flood control room. Based on the status, further decisions will be made.
According to the current standard operating procedure established by the PWD, if the water accumulation in an underpass reaches 6-8 inches, the control room will immediately notify the field unit and check the pump operators to ensure the pumps are functioning properly.
If the water level continues to rise, the traffic police will be informed to redirect traffic away from the underpass.
“We intend to install eight bullet cameras and three dome cameras at Moolchand and Prahladpur underpasses, along with other equipment to facilitate live feed to the online cloud data system developed for monitoring and issuing timely alerts to our teams and other agencies,” stated a PWD official.
“Tenders have already been issued for the project,” he added.
Both underpasses experienced waterlogging after heavy rainfall in June last year.
Despite the PWD’s efforts to prevent flooding, the Pul Prahladpur underpass remains a waterlogging hotspot.
The closure of these underpasses affects traffic flow in South and South-East Delhi.
In addition to increased dewatering efforts in South Delhi, the PWD plans to hire 1,800 temporary water pump sets for Central Delhi’s ITO and surrounding areas for the entire monsoon season. This area is prone to waterlogging due to its proximity to the Yamuna bank. The estimated cost of this project is Rs 88 lakh for four months, according to the tender issued by PWD.
In order to prevent flooding in ITO, the Public Works Department (PWD) is currently in the process of installing two new drain lines and conducting desilting work on the existing drains.
According to the PWD, a total of 308 waterlogging points were identified in Delhi in 2023. Fast forward to 2025, and the number has increased to 445 waterlogging points based on data provided by the traffic police. Out of these, 335 points are under the jurisdiction of the PWD.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta recently convened a meeting to address this issue, during which vulnerable areas were pinpointed and various solutions were proposed. These solutions include the construction of new drains, desilting of existing drains, and the implementation of automated pumps to mitigate the risk of flooding.
