‘Delhi to acquire amphibious excavators to step up Yamuna cleaning, desilting efforts’

New Delhi: The Delhi government has initiated the process of likely acquiring two advanced amphibious excavators to boost the ongoing rejuvenation and cleaning of the Yamuna River and its major drains. Officials said the project, estimated to cost around Rs.5 crore, aims to enhance dredging, desilting, and solid waste removal operations, particularly in swampy or hard-to-reach areas.

According to senior officials from the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, tenders have been floated for the purchase of the machines, including a four-year operations and maintenance contract. The amphibious excavators, which can operate on both land and water, will be capable of performing multiple functions such as removing sludge, silt, and floating waste, as well as assisting in landscaping and vegetation control.

“These machines will have a boom length of about six metres and an unloading height of around 4.5 metres above the water level. Their foldable hydraulic arms will allow them to pass under low-height bridges and maneuver easily through narrow drains,” an official explained. Each machine will function for 54 months, with the total project cost pegged at approximately Rs.4.4 crore. The procurement process is expected to be completed within the next week, the official added.

The move is part of the Delhi government’s 45-point Yamuna Rejuvenation Action Plan, launched in June this year, which focuses on desilting, installing floating skimmers to collect debris, and deploying pontoons to trap waste before it enters the river.

In a parallel effort, Water Minister Parvesh Verma recently announced that a high-end dredging machine from Denmark will be brought to Delhi by December to further intensify the cleaning work. The imported “Watermaster Classic IV” dredger, manufactured by a Finland-based firm, is an all-terrain amphibious machine that can operate from dry land to a depth of six metres underwater.

Equipped with a powerful six-cylinder Caterpillar C7.1 engine, the dredger can suction up to 600 cubic metres of silt per hour and pump it through pipelines as far as 1.5 kilometres away. The self-anchoring equipment is also fitted with a cutter and suction system to break up compacted silt, as well as tools for piling and raking.

Officials said these machines, with their multipurpose functionality, will help cut operational delays and significantly accelerate Delhi’s efforts to revive the Yamuna and improve the city’s

drainage network.