Najafgarh drain gets high-tech dredger
New Delhi: In a significant step towards cleaning the Yamuna, the Delhi government on Friday deployed a state-of-the-art mechanised dredging machine in the Najafgarh drain, the city’s largest source of pollution flowing into the River. The initiative aims to treat and intercept polluted water before it enters the Yamuna, officials said.
Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma launched the new machine at Dulsiras village, downstream of the Urban Extension Road (UER) drain in southwest Delhi. Calling the intervention crucial, Verma said nearly 70 per cent of the Yamuna’s pollution load comes from the Najafgarh drain due to the continuous inflow of untreated sewage and waste.
“Untreated sewage water enters the Yamuna through this drain in large volumes. We have now deployed a new machine here, which is among the best in the world,” Verma said, adding that mechanised cleaning has begun from the Najafgarh drain as part of a focused pollution control drive.
The newly deployed Amphibian Multipurpose Dredger, commonly known as a ‘Water Master’, has been imported from Finland and is designed for high-efficiency operations in challenging environments. According to officials, the machine can function seamlessly from dry land to water depths of up to six metres, making it suitable for heavily silted and congested drains.
The dredger is capable of removing nearly 600 cubic metres of silt every hour. Besides dredging, it can also be used for raking, piling, sludge extraction and removal of aquatic weeds. Officials said its multi-functional design allows faster and more precise cleaning compared to conventional methods.
“The machine is particularly useful for drains like Najafgarh, where access is difficult and pollution levels are extremely high,” an official said.
The minister said the broader objective of the initiative is to stop sludge, silt and solid waste from reaching the Yamuna by strengthening mechanised cleaning of major drains across the city. He added that regular deployment of advanced equipment, along with improved sewage treatment capacity, would play a key role in restoring the health of the river.
The Najafgarh drain, which carries wastewater from several parts of Delhi, has long been identified as the single largest contributor to Yamuna pollution, making targeted interventions along its course a priority for the government.
