PWD installs more CCTV cameras, elevates underground pumps as rain contingency ahead of G20 Summit

New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) Increasing the number of CCTV cameras for better monitoring and elevating underground pumps to clear accumulated water are among the measures being taken by the public works department of Delhi as part of its rain contingency plan for the G20 Summit.

Many areas of the national capital were inundated last month due to a rise in the water level in the Yamuna, leading to a situation where 27,000 people had to be evacuated from the floodplains along the river.

The areas of Rajghat, Pragati Maidan Tunnel and Bhairon Road, which are likely to be frequented by delegates during the summit, were flooded too, giving rise to concerns.

“We have prepared a rain contingency plan for the summit. We have increased the number of CCTV cameras installed on various roads to monitor them round the clock. Apart from this, the underground pumps that were submerged during the floods have been reinstalled at a height,” a PWD official said.

Ten locations have been identified to prevent waterlogging in case there is a heavy downpour. These include the areas around the gates of ITPO, the venue for the summit, the Pragati Maidan tunnel, Tilak Marg near the Patiala House Court, the underpass near the ITO skywalk and the Indraprastha Marg opposite PWD headquarters.

According to an official, 72 CCTV cameras have been installed inside the Pragati Maidan tunnel as it is likely to be used by delegates. Some of these cameras have been installed by the Delhi Police, he added.

Sixteen permanent pumps with a total capacity of 540 kilowatts are functioning inside the tunnel. Apart from these, six mobile pumps of 40 HP each have been deployed, the official further said.

The Indraprastha Marg stretch opposite the PWD headquarters was also one of the locations inundated following the heavy rainfall last month. Seven pumps with a total capacity of 337 HP are functioning there with two mobile pumps of 50 HP each kept on standby.

“The PWD control room is monitoring the locations under it through CCTV cameras. In case anything is observed, officials concerned are alerted. At the time of the summit, our teams will be stationed at locations where the delegates will be present to address any problem that might arise,” the official said.

The G20 Summit under India’s presidency will take place on September 9 and 10. The main venue for the G20 Leaders’ Summit will be a recently-inaugurated convention complex at Pragati Maidan.

Ahead of the G20 Summit, the PWD and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi were directed to frame a contingency plan to deal with possible waterlogging in case of heavy rain in the city, the lieutenant governor’s office said earlier this month.

Several parts of Delhi, including those close to the venue of the summit, faced flooding last month due to rains and the overflowing Yamuna river.