IGI Airport drain to be ready by July, says Delhi LG’s office

New Delhi, Jun 15 (PTI) The crucial Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport drain being constructed by the Delhi Development Authority is expected to be completed by July and will bring respite from any possible waterlogging incidents in the area, an official statement said on Thursday.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena inspected the progress of the work on the drain on Thursday, his seventh such visit, the statement issued by his office said.

During the inspection, the LG was informed by officials that 95 per cent of the work, like broadening and deepening of drains, construction of a culvert beneath the passing railway track and construction of five water bodies in different sectors of Dwarka to absorb the rainwater during monsoons had been completed, it said.

“Record efforts put in by the DDA along with the Railways and DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) during the last eight months under consistent supervision and personal guidance of Delhi LG have ensured that the 2.5-Km-long, 20-metre-wide and 2-metre-deep airport drain will be ready by July,” the statement said.

The drain will channelise rain and stormwater discharge from the airport to the Najafgarh drain.

“The project was stuck since 2019 due to the lack of permission to relocate trees at the site, which was finally granted by the Delhi government in November 2022 after the LG’s intervention,” it said.

According to the statement, the lack of drainage in the area had time and again led to embarrassing waterlogging at the IGI Airport, and created problems like traffic snarls for thousands of residents of neighbouring Dwarka sectors.

The existing two drains at the IGI airport have proved insufficient for discharging rainwater from the airport which has often resulted in severe waterlogging in and around the airport during heavy rains, the statement said.

Heavy waterlogging even forced closure of the IGI Airport on many occasions. It also causes flooding in the adjoining Dwarka Sector-8, which houses several prominent government organisations, it said.

The five water bodies in Dwarka being developed by the DDA will be used for storing overflowing rainwater during the monsoon. These 4-metre-deep water bodies can accommodate 12.20 crore litres of water, thereby preventing flooding of the streets, it said.

The airport drain will discharge 70,000 litres of water per second during the peak rains. The drain would start from inside the IGI Airport premises, pass beneath the railway tracks through a broadened culvert adjoining the airport boundary in Dwarka Sector-8 and connect to DDA’s trunk drain, 2 (TD-2), which would further channelise the rainwater to the Najafgarh drain, according to the statement.