New Delhi: Waterlogged hotspots around central Delhi such as ITO, Daryaganj, Kashmere Gate and surrounding areas are likely to get major relief this monsoon as the Delhi Gate drain, covered for almost 40 years, is being opened for the first time to allow deep cleaning and restore the flow capacity.There were major floods in these areas in 2023.Irrigation and flood control minister Parvesh Verma said, “We are fixing long pending bottlenecks so that places like ITO do not have to face floods this year.” He said that the work is being closely monitored.“The Delhi Gate drain, which was covered with slabs for almost 40 years, is now being opened for complete cleaning,” he said.For decades, he said, the structure had severely restricted proper silt removal, leading to frequent waterlogging of nearby areas. “For the first time in four decades, the slab is being broken to allow full access to the drain, enabling deep cleaning and restoration of its carrying capacity.”This drain, which originates in Daryaganj and runs for about 2.5 km before joining the Yamuna, is an important channel supplying the dense, flood-prone area of ​​central Delhi.For decades, about 400 meters of the drain passing through Samta Sthal Park was covered with concrete slabs, supported by pillars and beams, making proper desilting almost impossible, a senior official said. This led to the accumulation of large amounts of silt, which severely limited the carrying capacity of the drain and led to frequent waterlogging of the surrounding areas.This year, officials have started breaking the slab to access the blocked portion. Heavy machines are being installed to remove the silt that has accumulated over decades.According to the Irrigation and Flood Control (IFC) department, the desilting work from Delhi Gate drain is already more than 70% complete and more than 21,000 metric tonnes of silt has been removed. Work is also underway on the remaining stretches, including the area near Gandhi Darshan and the area under the flyover.Officials said it is important to restore the carrying capacity of this drain to prevent water logging in ITO, Feroze Shah Road, Jama Masjid, near Supreme Court and adjacent areas, which regularly face traffic disruption during heavy rains.In the July 2023 flood, the Yamuna rose to a historic high of 208.66 metres, breaching embankments and submerging large parts of the city. Areas like ITO, Supreme Court, Kashmiri Gate, Civil Lines and Mayur Vihar were most affected. More than 23,000 people were evacuated as flood waters entered homes and commercial areas.Officials said that while river flooding was the primary trigger, inadequate drainage has worsened the situation. “When major drains like Delhi Gate get clogged, storm water has no place to go, leading to severe waterlogging even in moderate rains,” an official said.The department said that along with Delhi Gate, desilting work from Barapula drain is also going on at a fast pace, of which about 78% of the work has been completed and more than 31,000 metric tonnes of silt has been cleared.Across Delhi, almost half of the 77 IFC drains identified so far have been desilted, and more than 14 lakh metric tonnes of silt has been removed against the target of 28 lakh metric tonnes.