With Monsoon Deadline Looming, Only 60% of Delhi’s Drains Desilted | Delhi News

New Delhi: While the deadline to desilt all drains ahead of the monsoon is May 31, the Irrigation and Flood Control (I and FC) department, which manages the network of major drains in the capital, has so far managed to clean only 60%.Except for the Barapullah and Sunehri Bagh drains—two prominent ones in the capital—work on the remaining 25 drains under the department’s jurisdiction is still ongoing, with just 10 days left for completion. In many areas, the department has yet to dispose of the silt removed from the drains, which continues to be dumped along the sides.Following massive flooding on various arterial roads and in residential pockets in June last year, lieutenant governor VK Saxena inspected severely affected drains and areas and directed the concerned agencies to carry out desilting work on a war footing. The LG also asked officials to put in place a comprehensive plan comprising long-term measures to tackle waterlogging, rather than continuing with a “crisis management” approach. Officials said the government prepared a comprehensive plan to desilt all major open drains that flow into the Yamuna.After taking charge, chief minister Rekha Gupta and I and FC minister Parvesh Verma also inspected the Barapullah, Kushak, Sunehri Bagh, and Najafgarh drains to review the ongoing desilting work. Both of them, on separate occasions, promised completion of the desilting well before the monsoon.Reacting to the lag, Verma said desilting of drains was a critical priority ahead of the monsoon, and the govt was closely monitoring the progress on a daily basis. “I have already issued clear instructions to the I and FC department to expedite the remaining work and ensure 100% desilting by the May 31 deadline without fail. There is absolutely no room for delay or negligence,” Verma said.He added that unseasonal rains over the past few days slowed down the pace of work in some areas, especially the lifting and disposal of silt. “But, that cannot be an excuse. I have directed the department to deploy additional resources and ensure that the silt is not left dumped along the drains. Strict accountability will be enforced if any officer fails to meet the targets on time. The safety and convenience of Delhi’s citizens during the monsoon is non-negotiable,” the minister added.According to the data, the I and FC department estimated the removal of nearly 22.4 metric tonnes of silt from 27 drains, but by May 18, only about 13.6 metric tonnes had been cleared. While the cumulative desilting of the Barapullah and Sunehri Bagh drains exceeded targets, substantial work remains on the Kushak, Najafgarh, Shahdara Outfall, Taimur Nagar, and supplementary drains. Around 66% of silt was removed from the Kushak drain, while the Najafgarh drain recorded only 42% desilting.The Shahdara outfall drain was cleared of 65% of its silt.According to officials, a number of machines have been deployed by the I and FC department to complete the desilting work before the monsoon. “Draglines, hydraulic excavators, amphibious hydraulic excavators, backhoe loaders, dredger utility crafts, and weed harvesters are some of the machines deployed in various drains,” said an official, adding, “Many of these pieces of equipment were recently procured to expedite the work.” the official added.Another official said directions have been issued to senior engineers across all circles to accelerate both desilting and the disposal of the waste removed from the drains.