NDMC to Combat Flooding with Modular Pit Technology

NDMC to Implement Modular Pit Technique to Improve Flood Control and Water Conservation

New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will improve flood control as well as water conservation by implementing modular pit technique for rain water harvesting. This is under "Jal Sanchay – Jan Bhagidari" scheme so that better use of water is made in NDMC regions.

NDMC Vice Chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal and Chairman Keshav Chandra recently participated in a conference on flood control and water conservation organized by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The conference was presided over by Union Minister of Jal Shakti C R Paatil and was also attended by other senior organization officials like the Central Water Commission (CWC), National Water Mission (NWM), and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB).

Chandra gave a detailed proposal for rainwater harvesting (RWH) and flood management in the NDMC zones in the meeting. He told the council that they followed modular RWH pits in crosswave technology. The pits are a cost-effective and nature-friendly solution, which is very cheap for rainwater harvesting. The pits reduce the consumption of construction materials like cement and bricks, thereby reducing costs by a great margin, while maintaining water quality due to the utilization of polypropylene modules with geo-textile cover.

Module pits shall be two-way utilized. The two-way function makes the module pits be either parks or parking space with an extra benefit of void ratio being very high with capability of carrying 95 percent water storage space. Water that is to be purchased via usage of such module pits shall be for many functions such as ground water recharging, support of green space, supplying water for feeding fountains as well as city landscaping works.

NDMC has also completed 272 rainwater harvesting pits out of which 167 are modular pits and 105 are conventional pits. To ensure that they continue working, the council has also desilted 182 RWH pits, and maintenance work overall will be completed by May 30, 2025. 95 new RWH pits with the capacity for 30 kiloliter have also been set up.

In an effort to alleviate waterlogging, the NDMC has identified 27 priority areas in the city where RWH systems will be installed. These are areas such as Purana Quila Road, Golf Link, Lodhi Colony, and Connaught Place that experience waterlogging. Placing RWH pits in these areas will control water accumulation and enhance water conservation activities.

Apart from the installation of the RWH system, NDMC has also introduced a monsoon readiness scheme. It entails regular desilting and washing of drainage structures like manholes, bellmouths, and chambers and desilting of major drains. Desilting is being carried out every 45 days, and one additional round will be completed by June 2025 so that the drainage network is prepared for monsoons.

The NDMC has mounted 10 machines for cleaning works to meet time targets. The operations are very important in trying to contain floodwaters during monsoon and watch waterlogging in susceptible areas.

With these measures, the NDMC is hoping to curb flooding events as well as promote water conservation in the city. Building modular rainwater harvesting pits and the fortification of drainage systems is a big move towards making water management sustainable and preventing waterlogging in the city.