Four trunk drains on the anvil to fix Capital’s waterlogging woes
Master plan revamped, says CM | To target West, South, North-West districts
The Delhi Government has intensified efforts to address chronic waterlogging by accelerating the construction and expansion of four major trunk drains across the Capital, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Sunday.
The projects, being implemented under a revamped Drainage Master Plan, are aimed at providing long-term relief to areas that have faced repeated flooding during the monsoon for years.
Gupta said the plan was originally prepared in the 1970s and failed to keep pace with rapid urbanisation, population growth and large-scale construction. As a result, drainage systems became inadequate, leading to severe waterlogging in several parts of the city.
She said the present government had revised it by factoring in Delhi’s geographical conditions, climate challenges and rising population pressure to ensure that such problems do not recur in the future.
Among the major initiatives is the Mundka Halt-Supplementary Drain project in West Delhi, which seeks to resolve waterlogging in Kirari, Mundka, Bawana and Nangloi. A 4.5-km-long trunk drain is proposed parallel to the railway line, with a discharge capacity of 760 cusecs to manage rainwater from a catchment area of about 1,520 acres.
The project, to be implemented by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department at an estimated cost of Rs 220.93 crore, will originate near Mundka Halt Station and merge with the Supplementary Drain. An MoU has already been signed with the Railways for use of railway land, and the drain is expected to be completed within 15 months after final approvals.
In South Delhi, the government has taken up a major overhaul of the MB Road storm water drainage system, where waterlogging has been a persistent issue, particularly between Lado Sarai T-point and Pul Prahladpur. The project covers a road length of 11.38 km, with drains on both sides extending to a combined length of 22.76 km. Estimated to cost Rs 387.84 crore, the project is being executed by the Public Works Department and is scheduled for completion within two-and-a-half years. Officials said the work includes upgrading undersized and damaged drains, shifting utility services and making provisions for tree transplantation or felling where required.
Another key project is the construction of a 7.2-km-long trunk drain from Kirari to Rithala in North-West Delhi to address long-standing waterlogging problems in the area. The Delhi Development Authority project, with an estimated cost of Rs 250.21 crore and a discharge capacity of 1,160 cusecs, has already seen about 600 m of work completed. Construction had been delayed due to pending permission for the felling of 84 trees, an issue that has now been resolved, allowing the remaining work to resume.
Improvement work on the storm water drain along the Rohtak Road (NH-10) is also being carried out to strengthen the overall drainage network. The Public Works Department is undertaking construction and upgradation of drains on both sides of the road across multiple stretches, including from Kirari Suleman Drain near Nangloi Metro Station to Hirankudna Drain, and from Tikri Border to Hirankudna. The project, estimated at Rs 184 crore, has received Rs 105 crore from the Centre under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment scheme for 2025–26 and is targeted for completion by March 2026.
Chief Minister Gupta said the revised Drainage Master Plan focused on enhancing the capacity of major trunk drains, easing pressure on the sewerage system and ensuring the safe discharge of rainwater into the Yamuna. She said the removal of long-standing drainage bottlenecks would provide permanent relief from monsoon waterlogging and make Delhi’s drainage infrastructure more resilient and future-ready.
Delhi continues to face frequent waterlogging due to blocked drains, rapid urban growth, poor waste management, and intense rainfall, which often causes traffic disruptions and flooding in low-lying areas. Last year, the overflowing Yamuna led to severe waterlogging across parts of the Capital, with low-lying neighbourhoods inundated for multiple days and residents forced to stay in government-provided tents.
With these major drainage projects underway, the Delhi Government aims to prevent such situations in the future, ensuring smooth traffic flow, safeguarding homes, and improving urban resilience against extreme weather events. By modernising the drainage system and increasing its capacity to handle heavy rainfall, these initiatives are expected to provide lasting relief to residents across the city, transforming Delhi’s infrastructure and reducing the annual monsoon-related challenges.
