New Delhi: With monsoon clouds looming over the capital, the Delhi government has issued urgent directives to all 11 district magistrates (DMs) to resolve 71 critical waterlogging points where multiple agency coordination is currently lacking.
According to a recent Public Works Department (PWD) communication, the 71 identified spots either fall outside the PWD’s jurisdiction or are caught in inter-agency confusion involving the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), or other authorities.
Out of the 410 total waterlogging points identified in 2025 — up from 308 in 2023 — the PWD is responsible for 335. However, the remaining 71 points are stuck due to jurisdictional ambiguity, prompting the Delhi government to empower district magistrates to act as coordinating authorities.
“You are requested to immediately visit these points along with executive engineers of relevant agencies and take decisions on the ground,” read the order from the PWD to the DMs, stressing the need to assign accountability and set deadlines for clearing bottlenecks.
The directive, issued as monsoon rains approach, instructs DMs to ensure remedial action within 2–3 days, followed by execution by agencies within 7–10 days. The DMs must submit their progress reports to Navin Choudhary, Additional Chief Secretary (PWD), within three days.
Earlier in May, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had emphasised that waterlogging would no longer be tolerated as a norm in the capital. She had directed concerned departments to speed up drain construction, desilting, and automation of pumping systems in known vulnerable zones.
Key waterlogging hotspots that annually disrupt city traffic include Minto Bridge, Azadpur, and ITO, among others — areas that continue to suffer despite years of drainage upgrades and civic planning.
The latest push reflects a renewed sense of urgency and accountability as Delhi braces for another challenging monsoon.
