In a significant push to rejuvenate the Yamuna, the Delhi government has sanctioned the deployment of a fleet of 32 state-of-the-art machines designed to intercept and prevent untreated waste from flowing into the river as it passes through the national capital.
Ground-Level Action to Replace Paper Plans
The high-tech equipment will become operational between the coming month and March, with the first phase of work targeting the Najafgarh drain. Government officials identified this drain as the single largest source polluting the Yamuna. Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma emphasized a shift from promises to action, stating that for years, cleaning the Yamuna was limited to official files and press releases. He asserted that the new machines would work on the ground to break the cycle of neglect and outdated systems that have polluted the river for decades.
A Specialized Fleet for a Complex Task
The diverse fleet is engineered to handle the challenging terrain of Delhi's drains and riverbanks. It includes amphibious, hydraulic, and dredging equipment capable of operating in waterlogged, deep, and marshy areas where manual or semi-mechanical methods fail. The specific machines approved are:
- Eight long-boom amphibious excavators
- Six long-boom hydraulic excavators
- Two amphibious multi-purpose dredgers
- Six self-propelled, self-unloading hopper barges
- Three mini amphibious excavators
- Two weed harvester machines
- Two wheeled skid steer loaders
- Two crawler mini hydraulic excavators
- One super sucker-cum-jetting machine
An official explained that this machinery was selected based on the specific nature of pollutants and the landscape of the drains. Their tasks will encompass deep desilting, removal of accumulated sludge and solid waste, and extraction of invasive plants like water hyacinth.
Round-the-Clock Mission with Scientific Disposal
The plan mandates round-the-clock operations for quick silt removal and scientific waste disposal. The amphibious machines will tackle deeper zones, hopper barges will transport collected waste, and the super sucker-cum-jetting machine will perform high-pressure cleaning. Daily progress will be closely monitored to ensure continuity.
The initiative is set to begin after one of the amphibious multi-purpose dredgers, used internationally for river restoration, arrives from Finland. This machine is expected to be fully operational by January. Once work stabilizes at the Najafgarh drain, the fleet will be redeployed across other major drains to intercept pollutants before they reach the Yamuna's main channel.
Minister Verma expressed confidence that the drains would be cleaned, pollution reduced, and the Yamuna would show visible improvement, warning that laxity would not be tolerated. The government has also established coordination mechanisms among various departments involved in drainage, flood control, and waste management. The ultimate goal is to transform the Yamuna cleanup into a sustained, year-round mission rather than a seasonal activity limited to the pre-monsoon period.
