Gujarat’s disaster management capability has made its way to the high-profile G20 Summit in Delhi by way of dewatering trucks.
At least four heavy-duty mobile dewatering trucks have been borrowed from state capital Ahmedabad to be deployed at ITPO and Rajghat for emergency water draining standby at the G20 Summit in Delhi.
The vehicles, equipped with high-capacity suction pumps, were brought by Delhi Fire Services to deal with a situation like the flooding in and around Rajghat and ITPO after heavy rain when the Yamuna breached its safety mark in July.
LG VK Saxena said Gujarat’s disaster management system was quite advanced and the trucks were brought as they were capable of clearing any waterlogged area.
“We are fully prepared to manage any instance of waterlogging. At least 200 tractor-mounted pumps are ready and would be deployed at different vulnerable points from September 4. If there is any rain or waterlogging, it will be cleared immediately,” Saxena said.
Officials said during review meetings to assess summit preparedness, the LG had repeatedly stressed a comprehensive, foolproof contingency plan in and around the G20 venues to deal with waterlogging. He had accompanied PK Mishra, principal secretary to PM Modi, on Sunday and inspected the dewatering trucks at ITPO.
“Two dewatering trucks each have been deployed at Rajghat and ITPO and can be moved anywhere according to the requirement. Each vehicle is capable of water suction at the rate of 10,000 litres per minute in a radius of 15 metres. With a full tank of fuel, these vehicles can operate for 24 hours,” an official in the LG’s secretariat said.
Officials said the fire services were directed to add such vehicles to its fleet. They said Delhi already had fire tenders that worked in reverse and could suck water and carry in its tank from a waterlogged area.
To ensure there is no water logging near Pragati Maidan, the LG said a new drainage system had been built in the area. “Tanks of 1 lakh-litre capacity have been installed underground. In case it rains, the water collected in these tanks would be lifted and flown into the drains,” he said.
Joint teams of the National Disaster Response Force, PWD, irrigation and flood control department and New Delhi Municipal Council were deployed with machinery to pump out stagnated water.
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