Months after releasing ambitious Rs 57,362.85-crore drainage master plan, Delhi govt approaches World Bank for funds

During the meeting, officials added, Chaudhary apprised the World Bank officials of the involvement and roles of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Irrigation & Flood Control department, PWD, and other stakeholder agencies in the implementation of the Drainage Master Plan, as well as the high estimated cost of implementation of the project.

“The Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of the Drainage Master Plan pertaining to all three major drainage basins of Delhi-Najafgarh, Barapullah, and Trans-Yamuna-were handed over to the World Bank representatives during the meeting. The officials were requested to examine the DPRs in detail and extend financial or technical assistance, or both, for the effective and timely implementation of the Master Plan,” said an official.

The Delhi Drainage Master Plan 2025 is also said to be the first such broad plan prepared for the Capital in 50 years. Even as the previous AAP government had started preparing the plan and appointed IIT Delhi, the then PWD Minister Manish Sisodia — calling the plan “generic” — asked the government to come up with a new plan basin wise, officials said.

The execution of the masterplan has already been initiated by PWD and other government agencies are being pushed to check the compatibility of the scheme, according to officials. “PWD has started work for Nangloi drain, Karala Kanjhawala drain and these are expected to be completed before next monsoon. Tenders for Azadpur drain floated and funds for redevelopment of Mehrauli-Badarpur Road drain sanctioned, NIT under preparation. This will benefit five assembly constituencies so far as the smooth drainage system is concerned,” said an official.

Under this plan, the government aims to focus on redeveloping and improving the drainage network of 18,958 kilometers, which currently falls under eight different agencies in the city.

As per the plan, in the first two years, waterlogging hotspots — under different agencies — will be taken care of. From the third year onwards, the work to set up large-scale infrastructure in colonies where there is no drainage network will start. By the completion of five years (2029-2030), final testing and system handover work will be completed.

For the implementation of the project, Najafgarh Basin, which has a catchment area of 918 square kilometers, will require a cost of around Rs 33,499 crore. The Barapullah Basin, which handles around 80% of the stormwater drains, has a catchment area of 376.27 square kilometers. The cost of repair and expansion in this basin is expected to be around Rs 14,547 crore.

Trans-Yamuna covers an area of around 196.93 sqm area and a budget of Rs 9,317 crore is expected to be required for this section under the plan.