MCD completes 57% drain desilting
- Delhi’s Irrigation and Flood Control Department said on April 24 it had completed 57.68% of pre-monsoon desilting across 76 major drains, with 16.48 lakh cubic metres of silt removed. - The government said 21 priority drains had crossed 76% completion, while the Najafgarh drain system — one of Delhi’s most flood-prone corridors — was still at about 48% progress. - The update follows an April 1 submission to the National Green Tribunal showing only 30.4% completion, with a May 31 deadline still in place. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
Delhi says it has finished 57.68% of pre-monsoon desilting on 76 major drains, removing 16.48 lakh cubic metres of silt as the city heads toward the rains. (infra.economictimes.indiatimes.com) The April 24 update came from the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, not the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and it covers Delhi’s large drains targeted for flood prevention before the monsoon. (newindianexpress.com) (millenniumpost.in) Officials said work on 21 priority drains has crossed 76% completion. They also said the Najafgarh drain system, one of Delhi’s most flood-prone stretches, was at nearly 48% completion, while the other 55 drains were above 63%. (infra.economictimes.indiatimes.com) (millenniumpost.in) Desilting is the removal of mud, sludge and garbage that reduce a drain’s carrying capacity. In Delhi, that work is treated as a pre-monsoon step because blocked drains can push rainwater onto roads and into neighborhoods during heavy downpours. (tribuneindia.com) (infra.economictimes.indiatimes.com) The numbers also show how quickly the pace has shifted this month. On April 1, the National Green Tribunal recorded a submission that only 30.4% of desilting had been completed and directed the department to file a further progress report before the next hearing. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The tribunal matter set May 31, 2026, as the deadline for completing desilting of 77 drains before the monsoon. That means Delhi still has roughly five weeks from the April 24 update to finish the remaining work on the major network. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (newindianexpress.com) Alongside the cleaning, the department said it is expanding its equipment base through a procurement plan worth more than ₹94 crore. Officials said 38 specialized machines are planned, including draglines, long-boom excavators, amphibious excavators and dredgers. (infra.economictimes.indiatimes.com) (millenniumpost.in) The Municipal Corporation of Delhi is running a parallel drain-cleaning program on its own network. In February, Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said MCD had begun desilting city drains ahead of schedule, and municipal records list drain-wise nodal officers for drains more than 4 feet wide. (hindustantimes.com) (mcdonline.nic.in) That distinction matters because Delhi’s drainage work is split across agencies, and progress figures can refer to different sets of drains. The April 24 “57.68%” figure refers to the large-drain program under the Irrigation and Flood Control Department. (newindianexpress.com) (infra.economictimes.indiatimes.com) For now, the headline is simple: Delhi has crossed the halfway mark on major-drain desilting, but the flood-prone stretches that matter most still have to be finished before May 31. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (infra.economictimes.indiatimes.com)
