In a significant push to tackle the national capital's perennial waterlogging crisis, the Delhi government has accelerated work on four major trunk drain projects. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced the move on Sunday, stating that these initiatives are part of a revamped Drainage Master Plan designed to provide long-term relief across large swathes of Delhi.
Four Pillars of Delhi's Flood Defense
The accelerated projects target critical bottlenecks in the city's drainage network. The four key projects are the Mundka Halt-supplementary drain, the MB Road storm water drain in South Delhi, the Kirari-Rithala trunk drain in Northwest Delhi, and the improvement of the storm water drain along Rohtak Road (NH-10). According to CM Gupta, these projects will collectively ease pressure on the city's overburdened existing drains and ensure significantly faster discharge of rainwater during intense monsoon periods.
This push aligns with the broader Rs 57,000-crore Delhi Drainage Master Plan 2025, unveiled by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal in September last year. That plan was touted as a 30-year solution for urban flooding, aiming to reduce waterlogging and flooding incidents by 50% within the next five years.
Project Details and Deadlines
In West Delhi, a 4.5-km trunk drain is being constructed at a cost of Rs 220.93 crore to address waterlogging in Kirari, Mundka, Bawana, and Nangloi. Executed by the Irrigation and Flood Control department, it is designed to handle run-off from a catchment of 1,520 acres with a discharge capacity of 760 cusecs. A key feature is the integration of several secondary drains into a unified system. With an MoU already signed with the Railways for work on railway land, this project is slated for completion within 15 months after final approvals.
In South Delhi, the government is implementing an Rs 387.84-crore project along MB Road, focusing on the stretch between Lado Sarai T-point and Pul Prahladpur. The Public Works Department will construct drains on both sides of the 11.38-km road, totaling 22.76 km of drainage. The 2.5-year project timeline includes pre-construction work, utility shifting, footpath construction, and tree transplantation or felling.
In Northwest Delhi, the Delhi Development Authority is developing a 7.2-km trunk drain from Kirari to Rithala near Rohini. The Rs 250.21-crore project, designed for a discharge capacity of 1,160 cusecs, had faced delays due to tree-felling permissions, which have now been secured. Approximately 600 meters of the drain has already been built.
Additionally, improvement work on storm water drains along Rohtak Road is underway with an outlay of Rs 184 crore, partially funded through the Centre’s Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment scheme. The target deadline for this project is March 2026.
A Modern Plan for a Modern City
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta emphasized that the city's original drainage and sewerage master plan was prepared in the 1970s and saw only limited revisions despite massive population growth and urban expansion. "Delhi’s ‘Drainage Master Plan’ has been prepared keeping in view the city’s rapid urbanisation, climate change, and population pressure," Gupta stated.
The core objective of the revamped plan is to enhance the capacity of major trunk drains to ensure safe and swift discharge of rainwater into the Yamuna, reduce pressure on the sewerage system, and provide a permanent solution to waterlogging. This infrastructure overhaul represents a critical step in future-proofing India's capital against increasingly unpredictable monsoon patterns and urban flooding.
