New Delhi: Promising permanent relief from chronic waterlogging, the Delhi government has begun work on four major trunk drains across West, South and North-West Delhi under an updated Drainage Master Plan. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the projects mark a decisive shift towards long-term, scientific solutions to flooding that has plagued large parts of the capital for decades.
“By removing drainage bottlenecks, the Delhi Government is securing the future of the city,” Gupta said, asserting that a strong drainage system is central to Delhi’s growth as a modern, global capital.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office, the four key projects include the Kirari–Mundka Halt–Supplementary Drain in West Delhi, the MB Road Storm Water Drain in South Delhi, the Kirari–Rithala Trunk Drain in North-West Delhi, and improvement of the storm water drain along Rohtak Road (NH-10). Construction and expansion work on all four has been accelerated. Gupta pointed out that Delhi’s original drainage master plan was prepared in the 1970s and failed to keep pace with rapid urbanisation. “Despite population growth and large-scale construction, the plan was not revised for
decades, which worsened waterlogging year after year,”
she said, adding that the current government has redesigned the system keeping in mind geography, climate challenges and population pressure.
In West Delhi, a 4.5-kilometre-long trunk drain is proposed to tackle waterlogging in Kirari, Mundka, Bawana and Nangloi. The Rs.220.93-crore project, to be executed by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, will handle rainwater from a 1,520-acre catchment with a discharge capacity of 760 cusecs. “This drain will act as a new lifeline for West Delhi,” Gupta said. The project will run along the railway corridor from Mundka Halt Station to the Supplementary Drain and is expected to be completed within 15 months after approvals.
South Delhi’s long-troubled MB Road stretch from Lado Sarai to Pul Prahladpur will see a comprehensive overhaul through a Rs.387.84-crore project covering 22.76 kilometres of drains on both sides of the road. Executed by the PWD, it will address damaged and undersized drains and is scheduled for completion in 2.5 years.
In North-West Delhi, a 7.2-kilometre Kirari–Rithala trunk drain costing Rs.250.21 crore is under construction. With tree-felling permissions resolved, stalled work has resumed. Additionally, improvement of drains along Rohtak Road is underway at a cost of Rs.184 crore, partly funded by the Centre, and is targeted for completion by March 2026.
“The Drainage Master Plan is the foundation of a long-term solution to waterlogging,”
Gupta said, adding that once completed, these projects
would provide lasting relief from monsoon flooding across large parts of Delhi.