In a step towards resolving the recurring problem of waterlogging during monsoon and modernising the sewer cleaning system in the national Capital, the Delhi government on Sunday conducted a successful trial of an advanced “Recycler Machine” in the Greater Kailash area. Delhi Public Works Department Minister Parvesh Verma on Sunday announced that the government plans to deploy state-of-the-art sewer cleaning machines before the onset of monsoon to prevent waterlogging. The department will use CCTV cameras to verify full desilting of drains, he said during a field visit. The machine has been brought from Mumbai and is capable of deep and thorough sewer cleaning without requiring any manual entry into the system. The high-tech machine has already been operational in Mumbai and Gujarat.
Alleging that most of the drains and nullahs in Delhi have not been desilted for the past 10-to 20 years, Verma claimed roads get waterlogged and water enters homes each time it rains in the city. "Our effort now is to have state-of-the-art machines in every assembly constituency to ensure thorough cleaning," said the PWD minister.
"This initiative is a concrete step towards realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a Swachh Bharat and modern urban infrastructure," he remarked while inspecting a trial run of a recycler machine in south Delhi's Greater Kailash area.
According to officials, the machine has been brought from Mumbai and is capable of deep and thorough sewer cleaning without requiring any manual entry into the system.
"One of the key features that make this machine far superior to the traditional ones is its ability to simultaneously extract silt and dirty water from the sewer. The extracted water is treated within the machine and reused for jetting, thereby drastically reducing water consumption," the government said in a statement. Officials said that unlike traditional super sucker machines, no additional water tankers are required by the recycler machine.
"Being a single-unit setup, it requires minimal operational space. The entire cleaning process becomes faster, more precise, and environmentally friendly. "This high-tech machine has already been successfully deployed in cities like Mumbai and in the state of Gujarat. The Delhi government now plans to implement it across the capital in a phased manner," an official said.
Officials added that the key aim behind this project is to ensure comprehensive and technologically advanced sewer cleaning operations across the city, especially before the onset of the monsoon. According to the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, more than 72 people died in sewer-related deaths between 2013 and 2024. Activists say these numbers are a severe undercount. Last month a 43-year-old worker died, while his brother and their cousin’s nephew were injured after entering a manhole in south-east Delhi’s New Friends Colony on Sunday evening. The victims were contractual workers of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).
