The Delhi government has completed a little over 92% desilting of Public Works Department (PWD) stormwater drains, even as the monsoon arrived in the Capital on Thursday – five days later than its normal onset date of June 27, officials familiar with the matter said.To be sure, about 85-95% desilting target is met in Delhi every year by the time monsoon arrives. (HT archive)Official figures shared by the government on Friday showed that PWD had desilted 1,955.08km of its 2,123.78km stormwater drain network as of Thursday, achieving 92.06% of its target and leaving nearly 170km of drains yet to be cleared.To be sure, about 85-95% desilting target is met in Delhi every year by the time monsoon arrives.The government struck a confident note, insisting that a combination of desilting, additional pumping capacity and permanent engineering interventions at chronic flooding hotspots would minimise waterlogging during the monsoon.Roads and water minister Parvesh Verma said on Friday that the PWD and the irrigation and flood control (I&FC) department are working in coordination to mitigate flooding.“Desilting has been completed on priority, pumping capacity has been increased, permanent solutions are being implemented at chronic waterlogging points and all departments are working in coordination so that Delhi remains prepared during the monsoon,” Verma said.According to official data, the east zone has completed 95.6% of its desilting work, followed by the south zone at 94.03%, while the north zone remains the furthest behind at 88.5%.The department has also removed 3.1 million metric tonnes of silt from 77 drains and disposed of more than 3 million metric tonnes at designated landfill and disposal sites. The exercise covered the Najafgarh drain, 21 major drains and 55 minor drains across the city.PWD officials said the department maintains 1,405km of roads and 2,123km of stormwater drains across Delhi. Besides desilting, it has floated 89 tenders worth ₹2,270.89 crore for the construction of precast drains. Work is underway on 31 packages, while the remaining are under process.According to officials, permanent engineering works have been completed at four of the 77 major waterlogging hotspots identified after last year’s monsoon. Work is underway at 42 locations, while tenders for the remaining 31 are in the awarding stage.Among the major interventions is Minto Bridge, where PWD has constructed an additional drainage connection, automated all 15 permanent pumps and upgraded the drainage network following years of recurrent flooding. Officials said the site now has 15 automated pumps with capacities ranging from 25 HP to 75 HP.“The waterlogging issues at Minto Bridge have been addressed through an additional drainage connection and automation of the pumping system. Similar engineering interventions are being carried out at other chronic waterlogging locations as well,” Verma said.At ITO, another critical low-lying junction, 14 permanent pumps with capacities ranging from 7.5 HP to 160 HP have been installed, supported by six power take-off (PTO) pumps and a 15-member operational team to ensure continuous pumping during heavy rainfall.At Zakhira underpass, where encroachments and garbage accumulation have historically worsened flooding, three PTO pumps have been deployed while a permanent drainage project is more than 90% complete. At Pul Prahladpur, the government has built an automated pump house equipped with SCADA-based monitoring, a 7.5 lakh-litre underground sump and 600 HP pumping capacity.At Azadpur underpass, 12 permanent pumps have been installed after desilting drains and sump wells, while Loni roundabout now has five automated pumps following drain remodelling and construction of a sump well.Other vulnerable locations receiving focused interventions include NH-24 at Patparganj, where six PTO pumps have been deployed pending NHAI’s drain construction works; Dasmesh Road, where pumping arrangements have been strengthened while permanent drain improvements are awaited; and Jahangirpuri, where remodelling of the stormwater drain network and installation of permanent pumps are underway. Officials said dedicated teams have also been deployed at each hotspot for round-the-clock operations during rainfall.The I&FC department has expanded its pumping infrastructure, with 243 pumps available this year, including 42 fixed pumps at 13 permanent pumping stations and 201 mobile pumps following the procurement of 39 additional pumps for 2026-27.The department has also expanded permanent pumping infrastructure at vulnerable locations. The number of permanent pump houses has increased from 157 last year to 167 this year, while the number of installed pumps has risen from 735 to 754. Of these, 212 have already been automated, with the remaining scheduled for automation by May 2027.To strengthen emergency response, PWD has set up a 24x7 central control room at its headquarters linked to the 1908 helpline. It has also increased the deployment of PTO pumps from 277 at 261 locations last year to 313 pumps at 286 locations this year, deployed 200 maintenance vans with five-member teams, constituted rapid action teams, appointed nodal officers for 448 waterlogging points and begun CCTV monitoring at existing locations. Another 77 sites have been proposed for real-time surveillance.