Delhi govt deploys new desilting machinery in Najafgarh drain

The deployment by the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) department is part of Delhi government’s effort to clean the Capital’s major stormwater and sewage channels.

The Delhi government on Friday commissioned an advanced amphibious dredger and three supporting barges at the Najafgarh drain, a move expected to help with desilting and waste removal in the channel responsible for nearly 70% of the pollution load entering the Yamuna, officials said.

The amphibian multipurpose dredger has been branded “Watermaster”. (HT Photo)

The deployment by the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) department is part of Delhi government’s effort to clean the Capital’s major stormwater and sewage channels. The new equipment will be used to remove silt, sludge, floating waste, and aquatic weeds from the drain, which is among the largest conduits of untreated wastewater into the Yamuna, officials said.

I&FC minister Parvesh Verma, who commissioned the machinery, stated that the initiative represents a shift toward using global-standard technology.

“Najafgarh Drain or Sahibi river is the biggest contributor to Yamuna pollution. If we are serious about cleaning the river, this drain has to be treated with the best available technology and continuous monitoring. This amphibian dredger represents a global standard in dredging operations. If its performance meets expectations, more such advanced machines will be deployed at different locations across the Yamuna and its drains,” said Verma.

The amphibian multipurpose dredger, branded “Watermaster” and sourced from Finland, is designed to operate in shallow, congested water bodies and on land. It can perform dredging, sludge removal, piling, raking, and clear aquatic vegetation in water depths up to six meters, transitioning between land and water without needing extra infrastructure, officials explained.

It is equipped with a flexible excavator arm, a 600-liter bucket, GPS tracking, and has a sludge pumping capacity of 600 cubic meters per hour.

The dredger, costing approximately ₹8.04 crore, is supported by three self-propelled hopper barges, each with a 12-cubic-meter capacity to transport dredged waste. The total cost for the barges is ₹5.25 crore, with each costing ₹1.75 crore, an official said.

The Najafgarh drain, extending over several kilometres across west and southwest Delhi, carries a large volume of wastewater and storm runoff before discharging into the Yamuna. Officials said periodic desilting and removal of accumulated waste is necessary to maintain flow capacity and reduce pollutant load, particularly before the onset of the monsoon.