Munak Canal heaped with 50,000 MT of waste in Delhi; govt to rope in contractor to clean it up

New Delhi, Sep 22 (PTI) Nearly 50,000 metric tonnes of garbage have accumulated along the banks of the 25-kilometre stretch of Munak Canal in Delhi over the years, officials said on Monday.

The Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) department has said it will rope in a contractor to clean the 48,782 metric tonnes of garbage, which is primarily constituted by silt and municipal solid waste.

"The contractor will clean all the waste accumulated along the banks and have the responsibility to transfer it to landfill sites. A tender has been floated to carry out the work," an official said.

The major water line has been the focus of the government for the past several days. The government has announced a plan to cover the canal with solar panels and construct a 20-km elevated corridor above it to decongest the areas in Outer Delhi.

"The work is to be completed in 75 days (two and a half months), which involves excavation of the waste and safely unloading it at the designated waste site, at the cost of Rs 5 crore," the tender states.

In April, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had inspected the canal and ordered officials to speed up drain cleaning work. She also issued instructions to construct roads on both sides of the canal and to put together an action plan for water conservation and purification.

Along the elevated corridor, the government plans to create recreational spaces, with open parks and walkways, the official said.

The elevated road, to be built for around Rs 3,000 crore, will connect Inderlok to Bawana in northwest Delhi.

The 102-km canal, a key water supply channel stretched across Haryana and Delhi, was originally built to reduce water loss in the Western Yamuna Canal and ensure efficient water transport to the capital. PTI SSM VN VN VN