Pump Failure and Blocked Drains Leave Rajghat Service Roads Flooded in New Delhi

On Monday, service roads near Shanti Sthal and Vir Bhumi in the Rajghat complex of New Delhi remained flooded under knee-deep stagnant water, four days after heavy rain lashed the capital on Thursday. The Public Works Department (PWD) stated that a pump failure combined with a drain blockage from ongoing drainage work left the stretches inundated despite the lack of fresh rainfall.

The waterlogging restricted access to parts of the memorial complex and adjoining service lanes. The high water levels forced pedestrians and maintenance staff to wade through the murky water with caution.

According to a PWD official, pipeline-laying work is currently underway in the area, and water is being diverted from the site. The situation was worsened because one of the three pumps deployed in the area stopped working, which further delayed the draining of the water.

On Monday afternoon, a team of PWD workers entered the flooded stretch to manually probe the drains and locate the obstruction. Other workers waded through the water while officials supervised the exercise.

PWD officials stated that the drains around the Rajghat area had been desilted before the monsoon. However, the ongoing drainage work led to the localized blockage that caused the waterlogging.

"Our teams are on the ground, manually inspecting the drainage network to identify the exact location of the blockage," a PWD official said. "Once traced, the obstruction will be removed and the accumulated water will be drained out."

To expedite the clearance, the department started using supersucker machines to drain the water and deployed additional mobile pumps to the site. Officials stated that the inspection of the underground drainage network around Rajghat would continue until the blocked section is located and normal drainage is restored. The PWD expects to clear the area by Tuesday evening.