“Yamuna to Get Cleaner: Finland’s Water Dredger Deployed in Najafgarh Drain”

New Delhi: The Najafgarh drain, one of the biggest sources of pollution in the Yamuna River, is set to be cleaned with the help of advanced technology from Finland. Officials say that once the drain is fully cleared, about 60–70% of the river’s pollution could be eliminated.

The 57-kilometre-long Najafgarh drain has been carrying untreated wastewater into the Yamuna for years, severely affecting water quality. To address this, the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Department deployed an amphibious water dredger imported from Finland on Friday. The machine was inaugurated by Delhi’s Irrigation and Flood Control Minister, Parvesh Sahib Singh. The dredger costs approximately ₹8.03 crore. In addition, automatic hopper barges have been brought in to remove the sludge, costing another ₹5.25 crore collectively, with each barge having a capacity of 12 cubic meters.

Machine Features and Capabilities
The Finnish amphibious dredger can operate seamlessly on both land and water. It is equipped with four stabilizers, a flexible excavator arm that rotates up to 80 degrees, and a 600-litre bucket. According to Minister Singh, the dredger can remove sludge up to six meters deep and clear up to 1.5 km of the drain in an hour, with a pumping capacity of 600 cubic meters per hour. GPS technology is integrated to track the machine’s movements.

The initiative is part of Delhi’s broader effort to clean the Yamuna, tackling one of its most polluted sources with advanced, mechanized solutions.