New Delhi, March 13 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday launched new state-of-the-art amphibious excavator machines (long boom and short boom) at Badusarai Bridge, Najafgarh Drain and Pankha Road Drain to strengthen the cleaning of the city’s drainage network.

These machines will significantly speed up and improve desilting operations, removal of garbage, and clearing of water hyacinth from the drains, said an official statement, adding that the move is expected to improve water drainage capacity and help reduce waterlogging during the monsoon season.

The Chief Minister said the Delhi government is using modern technology with full commitment to clean the city’s drains and restore the Yamuna River.

The event was attended by Delhi Cabinet Ministers Parvesh Sahib Singh and Ashish Sood, along with senior officials of the concerned departments.

The Chief Minister noted that the Najafgarh Drain is the largest in Delhi and carries nearly 75 per cent of the silt from the city’s drainage system.

She said that removing the massive volume of silt accumulated over the years was earlier considered an extremely difficult task.

However, with the deployment of these modern floating machines, it has now become possible. These machines can reach the middle of the drain and remove silt directly, accelerating the process of clearing long-accumulated sludge, she said.

According to estimates, more than 10 million metric tonnes of silt have accumulated in the Najafgarh Drain.

The newly deployed amphibious machines will be used to remove this massive buildup. The Delhi government has also decided to procure more amphibious machines.

One machine had already been brought earlier, while four new machines were flagged off on Friday. The remaining machines will be handed over to the department soon.

The Chief Minister added that the Delhi government is now carrying out desilting work throughout the year, instead of limiting it to the period before the monsoon. This approach aims to more effectively prevent waterlogging during the rainy season.

--IANS

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