2-km stretch of Najafgarh Drain from Timarpur to Mall Road Bridge has been completely cleaned

New Delhi: Sustained efforts of multiple agencies under the direct supervision of L-G VK Saxena to rejuvenate the Najafgarh Drain, has begun yielding results and the 'then and now' pictures of the location bear testimony to it. The 2-km stretch of the Najafgarh Drain from Timarpur to Mall Road Bridge has been completely cleaned and the works upstream of the Drain are fast progressing.

The 57-km long drain has as many as 121 smaller drains discharging sewage into it, the annual silt deposit in the drain is up to 3-4 lakh MT and at present approximately 85 lakh MT of solid waste is lying deposited in the drain, owing to neglect. 85 lakh MT of solid waste is lying deposited in the drain, owing to neglect and apathy. This silt/garbage accumulated in the form of two solid mounds, is equal to the 85 lakh MT waste accumulated at the Ghazipur landfill site. The neglect has resulted in drainage blocks, especially during the monsoons. Irrigation & Flood Control Department (I & FC) Official's say that, despite various Court orders and directions to clean the drain, not a single new equipment for desilting has been acquired by I & FC Department or DJB during the last 17 years.

Putting in place a comprehensive plan of action that is cost effective, Saxena ensured seamless coordination between various stakeholders like the I&FC Deptt, DJB, PWD and MCD amongst others.

The 2-km stretch is the first segment of the 12-km stretch from Timarpur to Basai Darapur where de-silting and cleaning work has been taken up in the first phase. This stretch has been cleaned using the innovative concept of Partial Gravitational De-silting. Starting October 15, nearly 17,000 MT of silt has been removed from this stretch in less than a month's time.

On the instructions of the L-G, a de-silting monitoring center has been set up near Timarpur Bridge and another desilting monitoring center is being established at Bharat Nagar which should be operational by December 15.