NEW DELHI: Saurabh Bharadwaj, Health-UD-Services Minister, Government of Delhi, inspected the cleaning of the Najafgarh drain, which is a major contributor to pollution in the Yamuna River, and announced that the Delhi government will fund ₹45.9 crore on desilting and cleaning operations. During this, he also inspected the work of desilting as well as the hydraulic excavator installed on the Pantul Bridge.
Bhardwaj said that the desilting and cleaning of the drain was being done on a large scale and that the government will spend ₹11.2 crore on the project. “Silt hump is being removed through a project costing ₹20.8 crore. Clean-up activity is also being done from Khyala Bridge to Basaidarapur Bridge which will cost ₹ 13.9 crore,” he added. Bhardwaj inspected the work of desilting as well as the hydraulic excavators for the removal of water hyacinth and silt.
He further added that “After removing the hump in the drain, the discharge of water will reach the Yamuna more quickly. Over the last few years, the government has reserved crores in every budget to clean the Yamuna due to which small drains flowing into bigger drains were being treated in sewer treatment plants. This process stops the sewage from directly reaching the river.”
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official said that the excavators mounted on floating bridges were being used to remove water hyacinths which deplete oxygen levels in the water, making it stagnant and unusable. “Adequate oxygen is capable of cleaning the water on its own. We are working to remove the water hyacinths from the drain. Silt is being removed so the flow of the drain can be sped up,” the DJB official added.
The Minister claimed that the government is committed to cleaning the river by 2025. He also blamed the neighboring state Haryana for contributing to the river’s pollution.
Later, he tweeted on social media stating, “Earlier this drain was referred to as Sahibi River but modernisation and sewer waste from Haryana polluted it. We are working towards using sewage treatment plants to clean its water.”