Irrigation department ramps up mechanisation for Yamuna cleaning in Delhi

Delhi's I&FC department has acquired 38 machines to clean the Yamuna, aiming to restore its water quality by 2028, enhancing pollution control efforts.

New Delhi

Mechanised cleaning at the Najafgarh drain, as seen in January. (HT Photo)

The irrigation and flood control (I&FC) department has procured 38 specialised machines for desilting, weed removal and drain maintenance to intensify cleaning of the Yamuna, water minister Parvesh Verma said, as part of the Delhi government’s aim to restore the water quality of the river by 2028.

The procurement plan for 2025-27 includes nine categories of machines designed to address different aspects of river and drain cleaning.

“We are strengthening the I&FC department with modern machines so that desilting, weed removal and drain cleaning can be done in a scientific and time-bound manner. Some of these machines have already begun work at major drains and the impact will gradually become visible. Yamuna cleaning is the topmost priority for our government,” Verma said.

He added that the deployment of specialised equipment will significantly improve the government’s capacity to address silt accumulation and curb the inflow of solid waste through drains. “Our objective is to tackle pollution at the source. Simultaneously, DJB is increasing the number of decentralised sewage treatment plants so that only clean water enters Yamuna through the drains,” Verma said.

Among the planned procurements are two amphibious multi-purpose dredgers for desilting operations in shallow water and marshy areas. One of these machines is operational at the Najafgarh drain, while a tender is underway for procuring the second one.

The department has also issued work orders to procure eight long-boom amphibious excavators, which can operate on land and in waterlogged areas. For large-scale desilting and excavation along embankments and drains, six long-boom hydraulic excavators are being procured. These machines, equipped with extended arms, allow operators to remove sediment and waste from deeper sections of the river and adjoining drains.

To dredge sediment and transport it for disposal, without additional machinery, six self-propelled hopper dredgers are among the machinery being procured. Two wheeled skid-steer loaders are also being procured for smaller-scale debris removal and material handling in narrow or congested stretches.

Other machinery includes six mini-hydraulic excavators, to clean smaller drains and undertake precision excavation, five mini-amphibious excavators to operate in shallow water bodies and marshy terrain, and two weed harvester machines to remove floating weeds and aquatic plants from the river surface.

The department has also prepared estimates for a specialised super sucker-cum-jetting machine, which will be used to clean clogged drains by suction and high-pressure jetting.

The cleaning of the Yamuna has long been a major political issue in Delhi. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which governed the city for nearly a decade before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power, had earlier claimed it was taking several steps to rejuvenate the river, including drain interception projects and sewage treatment upgrades. The BJP, however, had criticised the previous government over the river’s continued pollution levels and has promised to clean the Yamuna within three years of forming the government in the Capital.