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Delhi's drainage master plan identifies elevated roads and ongoing infrastructure projects as key challenges to the city's water management system. The 30-year plan, costing around INR 57,000 crore, highlights how structures such as the Western Peripheral Expressway and the proposed elevated Ring Road can disrupt natural water flows, leading to waterlogging. It recommends integrating drainage into infrastructure design, adopting 'Blue-Green' and water-sensitive planning, and modernizing monitoring with smart sensors and dedicated maintenance teams. The plan also highlights inadequacies in the city's 50-year-old drainage network.
Delhi's drainage master plan has highlighted the impact of elevated infrastructure on the city's natural water flow, identifying it as a major factor behind potential waterlogging. The 30-year plan, estimated to cost around INR 57,000 crore, aims to implement water-sensitive urban planning to manage flooding risks alongside ongoing road and metro expansions. Advertisement
Elevated roads such as the Western Peripheral Expressway and the proposed elevated Ring Road are expected to affect stormwater movement. The plan notes that the Western Peripheral Expressway, a 135-km corridor in Haryana designed to divert heavy traffic and reduce air pollution in Delhi, has already altered water flow patterns, particularly within the Najafgarh basin. These structures, while easing traffic, can disrupt natural drainage and contribute to localized flooding.
To address these issues, the master plan recommends integrating drainage considerations into all major infrastructure projects. It emphasizes the adoption of 'Blue-Green' infrastructure and water-sensitive spatial planning, which combine sewer and water management with modern urban development practices.
The plan divides Delhi into three drainage basins: Najafgarh, Barapullah, and Trans-Yamuna. It notes that the existing drainage network, largely over 50 years old, has become inadequate due to rapid urbanization. As part of ongoing initiatives, the government had announced a 55-km elevated Ring Road corridor, with the Public Works Department (PWD) tasked to conduct feasibility studies and prepare detailed project plans. Experts caution that construction of such elevated corridors, along with metro expansion, could alter water flows, increasing the risk of flooding if drainage is not carefully planned under flyovers.
The plan also suggests using smart sensors and establishing dedicated operations teams with modern machinery to monitor and maintain drainage infrastructure in real time. S. Velmurugan, Chief Scientist at the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), noted that while some projects like the Western Peripheral Expressway are outside Delhi, their design and construction must account for the city's drainage network to prevent disruptions.
Source PTI
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