New sewer machine trial as part of monsoon preparations

The suction-cum-jetting device on trial, called a “recycler machine”, was brought to Delhi on loan from Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)

Public Works Department (PWD) minister Parvesh Verma on Sunday oversaw the trial of a sewer cleaning machine deployed to clear blockages in the drainage network at Zamrudpur village near Greater Kailash, and announced that his government plans to deploy several such machines before the onset of monsoon to prevent waterlogging in the Capital.

PWD minister Parvesh Verma overseeing sewer cleaning work with a new machine at Zamrudpur village on Sunday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

The suction-cum-jetting device on trial, called a “recycler machine”, was brought to Delhi on loan from Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), officials said. They said the machine is capable of deep and thorough cleaning of sewers without requiring any manual entry into the system.

Verma alleged that most drains, nullahs, and sewer lines in Delhi have not been desilted for the past decade or so. “As a result, every rainfall leads to waterlogging on roads and even inside homes. Our effort now is to have one such state-of-the-art machine in every assembly constituency to ensure thorough cleaning. After cleaning, we will use CCTV cameras to verify 100% cleanliness,” the minister said.

A government official said that one of the key features that makes the recycler machine far superior to traditional suction-cum-jetting machines is its ability to simultaneously extract silt and dirty water from the sewer.

“The extracted water is treated within the machine and recycled for jetting, thereby drastically reducing water consumption. No additional water tankers are required, unlike traditional super sucker machines. Being a single-unit setup, it requires minimal operational space and the entire cleaning process becomes faster and more precise,” the official said, declining to be named.

Minister Verma said similar machines have already been successfully deployed in cities like Mumbai, adding that the Delhi government now plans to implement it across the Capital in a phased manner. “The aim is to ensure comprehensive and technologically advanced sewer cleaning operations in all major assembly areas, especially before the onset of monsoon — providing much-needed relief from chronic waterlogging issues for the residents of Delhi,” he said.

Earlier on Thursday, while addressing the Delhi assembly, Verma had outlined a series of steps being taken to prevent waterlogging in the Capital and improve the sewage network.

“We will ensure that there is at least one super sucker machine in each assembly to solve the sewer blockage complaints. 32 new super sucker machines have been procured and 30 more machines are being tendered. In the next four months, all major drains and trunk sewers will be desilted. The sewage lines have not been cleared for over 10 years,” he had said.

He added that 180 new junior engineers are being hired by Delhi Jal Board, and the number of labourers available in each assembly will be doubled from 10 to 20.

Verma said that the previous government only confused the public, but his government is working on concrete solutions. “Work is being done on water storage, water purification and pipeline improvement through scientific and modern techniques. The government’s goal is to provide clean water to every house without interruption, and long-term planning is being done for this,” he said.