NEW DELHI: A 2-km stretch of the Najafgarh drain in north Delhi has been completely cleaned and the work upstream is fast progressing, officials said on Thursday
The 57-km-long channel, which flows into the Yamuna River, has as many as 121 smaller drains that discharge sewage into the drain. The annual silt deposit in the drain is over 3 to 4 lakh tonnes and around 85 lakh tonnes of solid waste is lying in the drain at present due to neglect and apathy, according to officials.
The silt, accumulated in the form of two solid mounds, is equal to 85 lakh tonnes of waste at the Ghazipur landfill site. These underwater mounds in the drain block the natural flow of water, especially during the monsoon, resulting in overflowing of drains and flooding and water-logging in the national capital.
Over the years, the drain deteriorated into a stinking and gas-emitting health hazard that ran through the city. A 2-km stretch of the drain that has been completely cleaned is from Timarpur to Mall Road Bridge, they said.
Despite various court orders and directions to clean the drain, not a single new equipment for dredging has been acquired by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department or the Delhi Jal Board during the last 17 years, the officials claimed.
Since he took over, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has been personally overseeing the cleaning operations of the Najafgarh drain, which is the main polluting source of the Yamuna as well, the officials said.