The Central and Delhi governments person joined hands to find a lasting solution to the nationalist capital’s agelong saga of waterlogging and flood disruptions by unveiling a drainage maestro program connected Friday.
Union Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh laid retired the blueprint astatine an lawsuit for the ₹57,364-crore plan, which is apt to beryllium dispersed implicit five-odd years. The maestro program has been divided into 3 basins – Najafgarh Basin, Barapullah Basin, and Trans-Yamuna Basin – and the enactment volition beryllium executed successful 5 phases.
Delhi faces municipality waterlogging each monsoon arsenic the metropolis presently operates connected a drainage maestro program drawn up successful 1976 erstwhile its colonisation was astir 60 lakh. Since then, the fig has grown astir fourfold.
The consultants were awarded tenders for devising the maestro program by the erstwhile Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) authorities successful 2023 and 2024 and it was submitted to the incumbent BJP authorities earlier this year. The maestro program has missed aggregate deadlines acceptable by the Delhi High Court.
The nationalist superior has astir 18,958 km of drainage web nether the jurisdiction of 8 antithetic civic agencies and departments including PWD, Irrigation and Flood Control, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Development Authority, New Delhi Municipal Council, etc. The program has been prepared successful consultation with each these civic agencies and departments involved, arsenic per the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
‘Flood-free Delhi’
“Our drainage maestro program isn’t conscionable a program connected paper; it’s a warrant that Delhi volition stay flood-free for generations to come. Soon, sewage and h2o maestro plans volition besides beryllium unveiled to marque Delhi afloat future-ready,” the PWD Minister said astatine the event, stressing that immoderate drain laid successful Delhi from present connected volition beryllium done arsenic per the maestro plan.
Mr. Singh said erstwhile the Detailed Project Report (DPR) is approved by the government, the PWD volition invitation tenders from backstage firms to statesman on-ground execution and crook this program into a semipermanent solution for Delhi’s drainage needs.
The Chief Minister said Delhiites volition not person to interest astir rains successful the aboriginal – they volition beryllium capable to bask it with “chai and pakoda”.
Mr. Lal said the Central authorities volition widen immoderate practice is needed for the execution of the maestro plan.
Underlining the value of a drainage maestro plan, the High Court said successful a judgement dated April 8, 2024, “The urgency for its implementation cannot beryllium emphasised enough; however, the apathy of the medication is evident.”
The tribunal past went connected to acceptable deadlines of September 15, November 30 and December 31 past twelvemonth for finalising the DPRs of the 3 basins, but each 3 deadlines were missed.
Series of delays
The Delhi authorities successful 2011 signed a memorandum of knowing (MoU) with IIT Delhi to hole a drainage maestro program for the city.
The premier engineering institute successful July 2018 submitted its last study of the maestro plan, astatine the bosom of which was a mathematical exemplary that could make solutions for waterlogging successful the city.
But successful August 2021, a method adept committee told the Delhi authorities not to judge the drainage maestro plan, citing antithetic issues.
Later successful 2021, the Delhi authorities made the PWD the nodal bureau to signifier a drainage maestro program by dividing the metropolis into 3 antithetic basins, utilizing the IIT Delhi maestro program arsenic the base.
