NEW DELHI: With just three months to go before the onset of monsoon, civic authorities in the capital are ramping up efforts to desilt the city’s drains in order to mitigate urban flooding. Authorities plan on using advanced technology, enforcing stricter accountability measures and introducing long-term strategies for effective drainage maintenance.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has launched a pilot project to desilt a 200-metre covered drain near Dayal Singh College using drones and robotic equipment. The site is inaccessible to traditional machinery, making it difficult to assess silt buildup. The Rs 1.7 crore project’s tender will open on March 24, with work set for completion by June 30. NDMC has also identified 27 flood-prone areas, including Connaught Place, AIIMS flyover, and Lodhi Colony, where rainwater harvesting systems will be installed.
Meanwhile, Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Verma has cracked down on officials failing to maintain drainage systems, suspending an engineer over poor desilting near Akshardham Temple. “Officials have become thick-skinned over the past 10 years. They will be made to sweat in the field to do their jobs,” Verma said. He mandated daily road and drainage inspections by PWD engineers, with reports submitted via the PWD e-monitoring app.
The PWD has also issued fresh guidelines requiring long-term contracts for drain desilting to ensure biannual cleaning. Several measures include levelling and numbering manhole covers, monitoring inter-mixing points where sewage enters storm water drains, and ensuring that desilted waste does not re-enter drains.
Contractors will now bear compensation costs for accidents caused by desilting negligence.
Last week, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena inspected desilting work at the Sunehri Pul drain after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) flagged delays. The NGT has been hearing multiple pleas from residents across Delhi regarding stormwater drains contaminated with sewage, contributing to foul smells, waterlogging, and Yamuna pollution. To address this, PWD is strengthening coordination with agencies like CPWD and NBCC.
The Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department of the Delhi government has assured the tribunal that 23 of Delhi’s 24 major drains would be desilted by May 31, 2025. However, the Najafgarh drain, the city’s largest, will take longer, with a deadline of June 2027.
Various measures taken for desilting purpose
Measures include levelling and numbering manhole covers, monitoring inter-mixing points where sewage enters storm water drains, and ensuring that desilted waste does not re-enter drains. Contractors will now bear compensation costs for accidents caused by desilting negligence. “Officials have become thick-skinned over the past 10 years. They will be made to sweat in the field to do their jobs,” Verma said.