Finland’s amphibian dredger to clear Najafgarh drain silt

New Delhi: The irrigation and flood control department on Friday commissioned an amphibian multipurpose dredger, called Watermaster, along with three hopper barges for the Najafgarh Drain, which accounts for nearly 70% of the total pollution load entering the Yamuna. The move is for strengthening Delhi's flood management infrastructure.The machinery was commissioned by irrigation and flood control minister Parvesh Verma.
Officials said this was a shift towards technology-driven, large-scale and sustained action to address silt, sludge, floating waste and hyacinth accumulation in the major drains.The dredger, sourced from Finland, is highly versatile and capable of operating efficiently from dry land to water depths of up to 6 metres.It can be deployed for dredging, raking, piling, sludge removal and weed clearance, making it suitable for complex and congested systems like the Najafgarh Drain, he said.The machine is equipped with 4 stabilisers, a flexible excavator arm with 180-degree movement, and a 600-litre backhoe bucket. Equipped with a Caterpillar air-water radiator-cooled engine, the dredger includes GPS-based tracking and a fuel sensor.With a sludge pumping capacity of 600 cubic metres per hour and a discharge distance of up to 1.5 kilometres, the dredger significantly enhances the department's capability to remove accumulated waste. The total cost of the dredger is Rs 803.78 lakh.To support dredging, three self-propelled and self-unloading hopper barges were also deployed at a cost of Rs 1.75 crore per barge (Rs 5.25 crore total). These will assist in backhoe dredging, removal of hyacinth and floating materials. Each barge has a 12-cubic- metre capacity.Verma said, "Najafgarh Drain is the biggest contributor to the Yamuna pollution. If we are serious about cleaning the river, this drain has to be treated with the best available technology and continuous monitoring."He said that the dredger "represents a global standard in operations. Our approach is outcome-based. If the performance of this machinery meets expectations, more such advanced machines will be deployed at different locations across the river and its drains.""Cleaning the Yamuna is not about announcements. It is about sustained action on the ground. This commissioning reflects our resolve to address pollution, improve drainage capacity, and prevent flooding with permanent and scientific solutions," he said.The deployment of this advanced dredging fleet is expected to significantly strengthen Delhi's efforts to restore the Yamuna and improve flood resilience ahead of the monsoon season, he said.