The Sheila Dikshit Government is all set to appoint Professor AK Gosain, Head of the Civil Engineering Department, as consulting-in-charge on behalf of the Industrial Research and Development Unit of IIT Delhi for preparation of ‘Master Plan for Drainage for NCT of Delhi’. The Delhi Government is bringing a proposal to this effect before the Cabinet. According to proposal, the Government will spend Rs80 lakh plus service tax to Prof Gosain. The Geo spatial Delhi will provide data to consultant, free of cost. The consultant will submit his report within 18 month. Delhi has 5,000 stormwater drains, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) manages 94 per cent of them. The objectives of the Master Plan for Drainage of Delhi are to study the existing drainage system and inherent deficiencies in the system, compatible to the projections made in the Master Plan for Delhi 2021, identifying and revival of natural drainage courses, ponds, bawlies and use of rain water for rainwater harvesting. An internal report prepared by the Irrigation and Flood department highlighted that though the drainage system of Delhi is conventionally designed to carry storm water, as a result of an inadequate sewage disposal system, a large quantity of untreated sewage finds its way into these storm water drains, thus reducing the existing designed discharge capacity of the storm water drains. This leads to waterlogging on the roads during Monsoon on several occassions. “Direct disposal of sewage, cow dung from dairies, solid and liquid waste from industries, dumping of garbage and malba in to storm water drains also causes heavy situation in the drains there by reducing carrying capacity of drains,” the report said. The report further blamed the mushrooming of unauthorised colonies by encroaching in the land of drains has resulted in reducing the existing capacity of storm water drain. Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna had directed all agencies and stakeholders that include DDA, NDMC, Irrigation and Flood, MCD, PWD, DJB, Delhi Metro, Railways and NHAI that EIL will prepare Master Plan for Drainage in Delhi in October 2009. After protests by several stakeholders, the project was put on hold. The last time a comprehensive masterplan was made for Delhi’s drainage system was back in 1976 and finalised in 1981. Since then, the pressure on existing infrastructure can be explained by the population growth: up from 40 lakh (or 4 million) in 1971 to 13.22 million, as per the 2001 census. In 2007, Delhi government had approved Rs10 crore for preparation of Master Plan for Drainage of Delhi, but the same could not be materialized. The Irrigation and Flood Control department had issued an expression of interest two years ago to make a comprehensive plan for drainage. A Pune firm won the tender with the lowest bid but since the firm has experience of working only in smaller cities — Surat being one — the project has been pending since. The drainage system of Delhi is looked after by various local bodies namely DDA, MCD, NDMC, Delhi Cantonment, PWD and I&FC which are responsible for its maintenance within their respective jurisdiction. The municipality, according to reports, spent nearly Rs25 crore on drainage, and over 2,000 people are employed for cleaning drains and related work every year. The MCD claims though it handles 94 per cent of the drains, the 75 bigger ones are under the I&FC. The DDA and PWD have 92 and 73 drains, respectively, under their jurisdiction.