In a major step to strengthen Delhi’s flood-control infrastructure, the Delhi Government on Friday launched a technology-driven desilting campaign by deploying two advanced long-boom amphibious excavators at the Ghazipur Drai n near Dallupura village. The Rs 5.24-crore initiative aims to remove 30–40 years of accumulated silt, restore the drain’s carrying capacity and reduce the risk of monsoon flooding.

Inaugurating the machines, Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said the Ghazipur Drain, a key channel carrying stormwater from Noida, Sahibabad, Chilla and nearby industrial areas into Delhi, had been neglected for decades. Heavy siltation has severely reduced its flow, increasing the risk of waterlogging in surrounding areas.

The newly deployed amphibious excavators are designed to operate on land, marshes, shallow water and inside water bodies, enabling desilting in areas inaccessible to conventional machinery. Equipped with a 15-metre boom, they can excavate up to nine metres deep, removing compacted silt, sludge, debris, garbage and invasive water hyacinth. Each 140-horsepower machine, costing Rs 2.62 crore, is
fitted with a 0.50-cubic metre bucket and can move independently on land and water, ensuring faster and uninterrupted operations.

The government said similar machines will gradually be deployed at other major drains as part of its strategy to modernise Delhi’s drainage network, improve flood preparedness and minimise urban waterlogging during heavy rains.