DDA clears 10,000 MT of silt in Rohini drive

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has removed over 10,000 Metric Tonnes (MT) of silt in a special desilting drive undertaken in Rohini area. Earlier, Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu had issued instructions to DDA to carry out the drive in the area, for benefit of residents of Rohini and adjoining areas.

The project covers a 4.095 km-long trunk drain consisting of 3 to 5 pipes in parallel having diameter of 2200 mm with a total underground pipe length of approximately 16.50 km with 75 inspection chambers.

“Over the years, due to continuous wastewater flow and heavy silt deposition severely choked the underground pipelines, substantially reducing the carrying capacity of the drain. Around 10,000 MT of silt and waste has been removed to restore the carrying capacity of the drainage network,” DDA in a statement said. Owing to the confined nature and large diameter of the underground pipelines, conventional desilting methods were found to be ineffective.

“To overcome this challenge, DDA deployed high-capacity super sucker and jetting machines. High-pressure water jetting was used to loosen compacted silt, which was then removed through powerful vacuum suction equipment. The work was executed in a planned and phased manner with all necessary safety measures in place,” DDA said.

The trunk outfall drain, constructed between 1995 and 1998, comprises a combination of three, four and five parallel 2200 mm diameter RCC pipelines at different reaches. It carries storm water and discharge from Sectors 20, 21, 22 and 23 of Rohini, along with parts of Kirari and Begumpur, making it one of the major drainage corridors of the area.

The desilting operation, which is in progress, covers 4.095 km-long trunk drain consisting of 3 to 5 pipes in parallel, having diameter of 2200 mm, with a total underground pipe length of approximately 16.50 km with 75 inspection chambers.  This year, more than 57,000 MT of silt has already been removed by DDA till now. The DDA has successfully completed the desilting of storm water drains in the East, South and North Zones, while the works in the Narela, Rohini and Dwarka Zones are in the final stages of completion.

The DDA has divided Delhi was divided into six operational zones, namely East, South, North, Narela, Rohini and Dwarka, enabling focused planning, close supervision and timely execution of the works.

“The scale of desilting carried out this year reflects the DDA’s enhanced capacity and improved planning. During the previous year’s pre-monsoon drive, approximately 33,380 MT of silt was removed from storm water drains. This year, more than 57,000 MT of silt has already been removed, representing an increase of over 70 per cent,” it said.