New Delhi: Delhi govt on Friday deployed amphibious excavator machines to clean the Najafgarh and Pankha Road drains in an effort to clean the Yamuna. Chief minister Rekha Gupta and PWD minister Pravesh Verma flagged off the machines at Badusarai Bridge along the Najafgarh drain. The high-tech machines, equipped with long-boom and short-boom variants, are designed to carry out desilting, remove rubbish and clear water hyacinth from the drains. “To make the Yamuna clean and pristine, the work of cleaning drains is under way in mission mode. Equipped with modern technology, the machines are capable of swiftly removing silt, rubbish and water hyacinth accumulated in drains and reservoirs, enabling faster and more effective cleaning than before. This will improve water flow, speed up drain cleaning, and provide significant help in reducing waterlogging. Relief will also be provided to surrounding areas,” Gupta said. The Najafgarh drain is the largest in Delhi and carries nearly 75% of the city’s silt. Minister Verma said the modern machines will help remove years of accumulated silt, rubbish and water hyacinth effectively and improve water flow capacity. This will also help reduce the problem of waterlogging during the monsoon. “Delhi govt is continuously working to clean the Yamuna and its connected drains using modern technology,” he said. According to govt estimates, more than 10 million metric tonnes of silt have accumulated in the Najafgarh drain. The amphibious machines can reach the middle of the drain and remove silt directly, a task that was earlier difficult using conventional equipment. One machine was procured earlier, and four new machines were flagged off on Friday. More are expected to be handed over to the department soon. The machines will initially be deployed at key locations, such as Badusarai Bridge, Kakrola, Dwarka and Uttam Nagar, where desilting is on.
