Submit feasibility report within 2 days on engaging agency to break silt in Najafgarh drain: LG

Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena has directed officials to submit a feasibility report within two days on the possibility of engaging an expert agency to break and pulverise the silt settled in the Najafgarh drain, according to a statement.

The LG, in a meeting with Delhi government on Wednesday, also stressed that long-term solutions are need of the hour to turn the much-maligned drain into an ''asset''.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the Delhi government said the Najafgarh drain will be cleaned, beautified and will be converted into a clean water channel.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia held a review meeting with the senior officials and technical team of Dredging Corporation of India on Thursday, it said.

The specialists from Dredging Corporation of India inspected the Najafgarh drain on Thursday and they will now conduct the data analysis and send its recommendations to the Delhi government within a week, it said. Thereafter, the work of desilting of Najafgarh drain as well as removal of water weeds will be done in various phases, the government statement said.

''The Delhi government is working towards rejuvenation and beautification of major drains flowing into the Yamuna. As a part of the crucial project, Najafgarh drain will be cleaned, beautified and will be converted into a clean water channel. ''Cleaning and beautification of Najafgarh drain will play a major role in cleaning of Yamuna which is one of the primary targets of the Delhi government,'' it added.

Saxena had visited the Najafgarh drain on Saturday last week. On Wednesday, a meeting headed by LG and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his Deputy Manish Sisodia, Chief Secretary and officials was held to decide upon the further course of action. The breaking and pulverisation of silt will help in achieving the dual purpose of loosened silt being carried by normal water flow and also achieving bed depth, said an official statement from the LG office.

Saxena and Kejriwal agreed that to turn the much maligned Najafgarh drain into an asset, planning aimed at long term solutions that also addressed the issue of recurrent expenditure and efforts needed to be undertaken. ''Accordingly, the LG reiterated that for the drain to be developed into an eco-tourism destination and a navigable water-way where activities like boat rides, water sport, and commuting could take place, it needed to have a depth of at least four metres. This, the chief minister underlined, could be achieved by undertaking a comprehensive de-silting and dredging exercise in a time-bound manner,'' said the statement.

The LG and chief minister directed officials to explore within a couple of days the possibility of engaging an expert agency to break and pulverize the silt settled in the Najafgarh drain so as to achieve the dual purpose of loosened silt getting carried by normal water flow as also achieve bed depth, it added. The officers were directed to submit a feasibility/action plan within two days. In addition, it was also directed that meshes of different density be used at graded distances on different small drains that empty into the Najafgarh drain so as to intercept the flow of solid waste and heavy silt directly into the drain. ''These steps would ensure that the Najafgarh and its supplementary drains achieve ideal depth to conserve water and serve as a moving reservoir for storm drain and rain water from the catchment areas, apart from helping raise the ground water level,'' the statement stressed.

To address the issue of large swathes of Hyacinth obstructing the flow of water in the drain, it was decided to explore the possibility of using boats fitted with cutters that would shred the Hyacinth on-stream. This measure would ensure that it flows away with the water and dissolve. This measure would be better than the prevailing practice of deploying JCB machines to remove and dump them on the embankments, which eventually flows back into the drain.

It was also decided to parallelly start work on plantation of flowering and aesthetically appealing trees, so as to capitalize on the benefits of the forthcoming rainy season, it said.

The drain originates from Najafgarh Lake and joins Yamuna river in Wazirabad while travelling through southwest, west and north districts. It is also one of the biggest drains in the capital that gets discharged in the Yamuna. PTI SLB TDS TDS

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