Ahead of the approaching monsoon, the AAP government has issued a WhatsApp number and an email id to allow Delhiites to register complaints about water logging in the Capital.
The Public Works Department (PWD), meanwhile, has appealed to the public to inform it about locations that may be water-logged during the monsoon. People can send complaints with pictures through WhatsApp on 8130188222 or on monsoondelhi2017@gmail.com.
L-G Anil Baijal, too, had constituted a high-level committee headed by the PWD Secretary to look after desilting of drains and open manholes.
Real-time monitoring
Recently, PWD Minister Satyendar Jain had also directed his department to issue the same so that complaints of water-logging could be resolved at the earliest. The department is also mulling real-time monitoring of locations identified as water-logging flashpoints through WhatsApp. The initiative is part of a larger plan to ensure transparency in the way the department confronts excess surface run-off after a downpour, which includes surprise inspections by PWD superintending engineers in randomly-assigned areas instead of those under their jurisdiction.
Last month, the Delhi government had warned that if the city suffered due to water logging during the monsoon, the officers concerned would face action. In a recent note to Chief Secretary M. M. Kutty, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had cautioned against desilting of drains “only on paper”.