New Delhi

After heavy rainfall lashed Delhi, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta hit the ground inspecting the drainage arrangements in Shalamar Village in her assembly constituency on Thursday and directed officials to ensure proper water drainage.

"Amidst heavy monsoon rains in Delhi, the Delhi Government and all departments are working with full readiness to tackle waterlogging," officials said.

The Public Works Department (PWD) minister Parvesh Sahib Singh also visited the PWD's control at ITO to review the dewatering arrangements and said that in most cases the stagnant water was removed and the "situation is better than in previous years".

"We had promised that we would build a proper drainage system for Delhi so that people could actually enjoy the rain... In the last 24 hours, Delhi has received more than 100 mm of rainfall. Even after that, at Minto Bridge, where even large buses and other vehicles used to get stranded, the traffic is moving smoothly," Singh told reporters.

He said that agencies like PWD and Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) department are prepared to welcome the monsoon.

"Wherever water was accumulated, it was cleared within 30 minutes. That is not waterlogging. We have installed 179 cameras across 45 locations that were previously prone to severe waterlogging. In most cases, the water is drained within 10-15 minutes," the PWD minister added.

The PWD is monitoring every complaint in real time, every vulnerable location is under surveillance, and teams are fully prepared to respond immediately wherever required, he said.

"Our objective is simple -- to ensure that Delhiites can move safely and confidently even during heavy rainfall," he further said.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city recorded 72.6 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am.

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"Around 40 calls were received for waterlogging, of which 32 have been resolved till afternoon. Waterlogging was witnessed in areas like Mayur Vihar and Seelampur Gurudwara Road. Also, teams are working to clear the water in these areas," an official said.

Waterlogging was also seen in several other parts of the city, including Vikas Marg, areas in East Delhi, New Delhi railway station, Munirka, Sadar Bazar and Dwarka.