Inderlok-Pitampura section of Munak Canal focus of rejuvenation project in Delhi

Delhi plans a ₹35-crore project to rejuvenate a defunct canal section, transforming it into a public ghat and developing a 20 km elevated corridor.

New Delhi

In June, officials found the Pitampura-Shalimar Bagh section of the canal filled with garbage, debris, waste and run-off drainage wastewater. (HT)

At the heart of the government’s plan to develop an elevated corridor and a riverfront project along the Munak Canal, which carries water from Haryana to Haiderpur in Delhi, is a section from Inderlok to Pitampura—lying defunct and it is currently full of debris and waste—that agencies plan to rejuvenate in a ₹35-crore project, officials familiar with the matter said.

This section of the canal is defunct and dry and is one of the largest Chhath ghats in the Capital, officials with the irrigation and flood control (I&FC) department said.

“The government has decided to rejuvenate this space for public utility and it will be developed as a ghat with landscaping and steps leading to water channel. Bids have been invited for the project and it will be executed in the next four months at a cost of ₹35 crore,” an I&FC department official said.

The government has initiated the consultancy for the development of a 20 km-long elevated corridor from Bawana to Inderlok along the canal. The starting point of the corridor will be Bawana-Narela Road and it will end near the Inderlok Metro Station.

A government official said that a joint inspection of the dry canal was undertaken by officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) and I&FC officials in June, and they found the Pitampura-Shalimar Bagh section of the canal filled with garbage, debris, waste and run-off drainage wastewater. A few sections along the canal were also found to be encroached.

An I&FC department report on the project proposes cleaning and revamping of over 200,000 square metres, starting with the removal of vegetation and waste disposal. The department estimates that around 34,182 metric tonnes of earth malba, garbage and filth will be removed from the defunct canal.

“The canal channel is also in poor shape and a rough excavation of more than 115,000 cubic metres of earth will be extracted followed by levelling of the canal banks with heavy rollers. A concrete base will be topped with brick based stepped structure resembling ghat and leading to the water channel,” the I&FC official cited above said.

The water in the channel will be diverted during the periods when demand is low. “There are two components of the project, rejuvenation of the dry canal and development of Chhath ghat. This site can serve as the biggest Chhath ghat in the city. We are hoping that the work on a significant section will be completed in the next two months. During winter, the water demand goes down so diverting some additional water should not be a problem,” the official said.

On August 20, HT reported that the government has commissioned a ₹5.6-crore study—traffic analysis and background planning work for setting up a 20-km elevated corridor connecting the recently inaugurated Urban Extension Road-II with the Outer Ring Road and Inderlok in north Delhi. Under the long-term project, the government also plans surface-level recreational spaces, riverfront-like development, and non-motorised lanes along the water channel. The project also incorporates fencing of the canal, which carries a major chunk of the city’s raw water supply, along with redeveloping the lining of the canal, which is leading to water losses.