Overview

• On June 3, the Public Works Department posted images on X showing labourers waist-deep in a Rohini stormwater drain without protective boots, gloves or masks.
• Chief Minister Rekha Gupta defended manual desilting in narrow lanes where machines cannot operate and said all work complies with court-mandated guidelines.
• The PWD placed a junior engineer under suspension and issued warnings to other officials for failing to ensure workers wore proper safety equipment.
• Officials stressed the operation involved stormwater drains carrying rainwater, not sewers, arguing that manual scavenging laws do not apply.
• The department’s 21-day pre-monsoon campaign continues across more than 2,100 km of drains to prevent seasonal waterlogging under reinforced safety oversight.