Deadline looming, MCD met just 21% of desilting target by end of April

NEW DELHI: MCD's status report for desilting of drains reveals that the civic body completed only 21.3% of the work by April 25. With the initial deadline for finishing the work set for May 31, the progress so far appears insufficient.
Of the target of 1.3 lakh metric tonnes to be lifted and taken to designated sites by May end, only 27,000 MT was cleared from drains more than 4 feet deep, as per the report.
The civic body didn't comment on the issue while several RWAs reported that no desilting had taken place in their localities. To meet the target, the pace needs to be significantly increased, they said. Desilting is done in two phases. Phase I is carried out before monsoon from Jan 1 to May 31, when 60% of the cleaning is done to mitigate the chances of waterlogging during the rainy season.
Residents fear the worst as desilting work lags in Delhi
The deadline for this is often extended to June 15. Phase II of the work is taken up post-monsoon to ensure uninterrupted flow of drains.

The civic body is working in all 12 zones in the capital after engaging machinery and equipment. There are 800 drains over 4ft deep in MCD's jurisdiction, spread over a 530km area.
As of now, work is on at 253 places, while work at none of the drains has been completed yet.
"In phase I, the civic body targeted to lift 1,29,392.8 metric tonnes of silt, and of this, 27,589 MT of silt was removed by April 25, which amounts to 21.3%," as per the report seen by TOI.
In phase II this year, the silt removal target has been set at 84,466.6 MT. This has taken the total target of MCD for removing silt in 2025-26 to 2,13,859.5 MT.
Besides, work is on at drains in the residential colonies in the capital and those less than 4ft deep.
"These drains are cleared throughout the year. There are 12,892 such drains spread over an area of 6,069.8km, with a target to remove 40,086 MT of silt. Of this, 9,474.8 MT has been achieved by the end of April, which accounts for 24% of the work," said the report.
According to the report, 100% of the work has been done in Sadar Paharganj zone, followed by 57% in Najafgarh zone and 44.8% in Keshavpuram.
Residents, however, said that the Friday morning downpour, accompanied by gusty winds, exposed the lack of preparedness of the Delhi govt and the municipal authorities.
"Widespread waterlogging affected the city, particularly at known trouble spots. Internal lanes of New Friends Colony, Janakpuri and Azadpur were also flooded. I think authorities need to fix the problem and complete their task in coordination rather than later blaming each other for waterlogging," said A N Gupta, a resident of Janakpuri.
MCD reported 16 complaints of waterlogging from Vasant Vihar, Defence Colony, Pul Bangash, Fatehpur Beri, Shastri Bagh and Rana Pratap Bagh on Friday.
"Complaints were received through email, call centre and hotline numbers. These were immediately conveyed to the staff and resolved," said the official.