Delhi: Drain desilting progress lags as May deadline looms large

The capital has already received a grim preview of what’s to come. On Sunday, several parts of the city were inundated

With less than a week left to meet the May 31 deadline to complete pre-monsoon desilting of drains, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has completed less than half the work on the city’s major drains—raising serious concerns about waterlogging once the monsoon hits.

Silt and waste near the Moolchand underpass in New Delhi on Monday. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The capital has already received a grim preview of what’s to come. On Sunday, several parts of the city were inundated following a spell of torrential early morning rain, exposing the gap between official claims and on-ground preparations.

According to the MCD’s latest status report dated May 23, just 42.82% of the desilting work has been completed across 800 large drains spanning 530.82km. The target for phase one of the desilting drive, which began on January 1, was to clear 129,392.85 metric tonnes (MT) of silt by the end of May.

“So far, 55,410.58MT of silt has been removed from these drains, and work is currently in progress at 628 of the 800 sites,” a senior MCD official said.

Hindustan Times had reported on May 5 that the annual desilting exercise was significantly behind schedule, with only 22–24% of the work completed at the time. Despite the approaching deadline, the pace has remained sluggish across most zones.

Among the 12 administrative zones under MCD, Shahdara North, Karol Bagh, and Najafgarh have reported the slowest progress. In contrast, desilting work has been relatively better in Keshavpuram, Rohini, and South zones.

A civic official explained on condition of anonymity that desilting is now carried out round the year in two phases: “Under the first phase, drain clearance is conducted from January to May, ahead of the monsoon. The second phase runs from June to December. Bulk of the work is expected to be completed in the first phase. We may have to extend the phase one deadline to June 15.”

The official also noted that Sunday’s intense rainfall may have caused silt heaps to flow back into drains. “At some sites, desilting will have to be repeated to ensure there is no blockage.”

While MCD and the public works department (PWD) are the two main agencies responsible for the city’s drainage network, progress across the board has been patchy. As per an HT report dated May 23, PWD had completed only 25% of the desilting on the 1,400 km of road stretches under its charge, despite the May-end deadline set by the department’s minister.

Civic groups have also flagged selective implementation and lack of oversight. Atul Goyal of URJA, a federation of Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs), said: “Only people with access, or those who persistently complain, get their drains cleared. Otherwise, most of the work takes place only on paper. There is no third-party audit of the silt removed.”

He added, “Ideally, local RWAs should be roped in to monitor and authenticate the work done in their areas. Local area committees need to be formed.”

An MCD spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.