NEW DELHI: Years of neglect have left the Munak Canal banks buried under mountains of silt and trash, with officials estimating nearly 500,000 metric tonnes of garbage piled up along a 25-kilometre stretch in Delhi.
The Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department has now moved to tackle the problem by engaging a contractor for the first phase of cleanup.
“The contractor will clean all the waste accumulated along the banks and have the responsibility to transfer it to landfill sites. A tender has been floated to carry out the work,” an official said.
According to the tender, the work will involve excavation and safe transfer of 48,782 metric tonnes of waste, largely a mix of silt and municipal solid waste, to designated landfill sites.
The exercise, pegged at Rs 5 crore, is expected to be completed within 75 days. The Munak Canal, a 102-km channel built to reduce water loss from the Western Yamuna Canal and ensure smooth water supply to Delhi, has become the focus of government initiatives in recent months.
In April, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inspected the canal and ordered officials to “speed up drain cleaning work.” She also directed the construction of service roads on both sides and instructed departments to prepare an action plan for “water conservation and purification.”
The canal, which delivers 200 million gallons a day to the Haiderpur water treatment plant, supplies drinking water to about 20 lakh residents.
Earlier this month, the CM said that Delhi has formally taken over maintenance of the canal from Haryana. Gupta, who first announced the plan in July, criticised years of poor upkeep, citing inadequate security, weak pollution control, damaged lining (pitching) and unpaved stretches that allow contamination.
The takeover aims to repair the canal’s lining, improve monitoring and prevent pollution to secure the city’s water supply, officials said, promising faster action under Delhi’s direct supervision from next month.
Alongside cleaning operations, the government is preparing to reshape the canal corridor into a transport and recreation hub.
Plans include covering portions of the canal with solar panels and constructing a 20-km elevated road between Inderlok and Bawana to ease congestion in Outer Delhi. Officials said the elevated project, with an estimated cost of Rs 3,000 crore, will also feature open parks and walkways, integrating environmental cleanup with urban redevelopment.