In a proactive move, the Delhi government has issued this year’s Flood Control Order, following Lieutenant Governor concerns over its delay. This order comes after Delhi experienced severe waterlogging and casualties due to incessant rains last Friday.The L-G had previously expressed his dismay, noting that the Flood Control Order and de-silting of drains, due by June 15, had not been completed. “The Flood Control Order, typically issued post the Apex Committee meeting chaired by the Honourable Chief Minister, is pending with the Honourable Minister,” Saxena remarked.
The newly issued Flood Control Order stipulates the establishment of a Central Flood Control Room, operational until October 15 or the monsoon’s withdrawal, whichever is later. This control room will handle flood warnings, gather and relay flood-situation reports to key officials including the L-G, Chief Minister, and the Minister of Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC). It will also coordinate necessary flood warnings, evacuation directives, and relief arrangements.To ensure comprehensive monitoring, regional posts will be established at 16 critical locations along the Yamuna river, Najafgarh drain, supplementary drain, Jahangir Puri drain, and the Chilla regulator on the Shahdara Outfall drain. These posts will monitor flood situations and manage drainage congestion.Additionally, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will set up their control rooms to handle complaints and implement remedial actions for drainage issues due to heavy rains. These control rooms will maintain continuous communication with the Central Flood Control Room.
The order also designates sector committees for each of Delhi’s 11 revenue districts, led by sector officers and comprising members from 13 stakeholder departments including I&FC, MCD, NDMC, health, and education departments. The committees will be overseen by three ministers – I&FC Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, PWD Minister Atishi, and Environment Minister Gopal Rai.These sector committees are tasked with preparing action plans, establishing sector control rooms, earmarking stores and relief materials, and identifying vulnerable areas. They will also assess the status of flood control work and road conditions, particularly in high-risk areas.In case of necessary evacuations, the committees will supervise the setup of relief camps at pre-identified locations. The order highlights issues from last year’s severe flooding, including traffic congestion due to peak flood days coinciding with working days, coordination challenges among agencies and neighbouring states, and reluctance among residents to evacuate despite warnings.Last year, Delhi faced one of its worst flood-like situations, with over 25,000 people evacuated from affected areas. This year’s Flood Control Order aims to prevent a repeat of such crises by ensuring timely and effective response measures.
