New Delhi: In a major push towards water conservation, air pollution control and sustainable urban landscaping, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) plans to implement its first smart irrigation system across key stretches of Lutyens’ Delhi this year. The initiative aims to reduce wastage of treated water used for irrigation by nearly 70%, the civic body said.In Phase I, the project will cover 11 major roads spanning about 19.3km. These include stretches around Nehru Park, Peshwa Road, Mandir Marg, RK Ashram Marg and Bhai Veer Singh Marg. The roads are located near STPs to minimise infrastructure costs and ensure uninterrupted supply of treated water. Pipelines will be laid from decentralised STPs to irrigate green belts, central verges, roadside plantations and landscaped areas. The system will include hydrants for washing trees and nozzles at several locations.
NDMC vice-chairman Kuljeet Chahal said the system will be fully automated and closely monitored to prevent leakages or misuse. “Smart controllers will optimise irrigation schedules based on actual requirement, significantly reducing wastage. It will also cut costs incurred on water tankers and manpower. More importantly, less movement of tankers will help bring down pollution levels,” he said.A tender was floated for Phase I at a cost of Rs 16 crore, with work expected to be awarded by March. The project is likely to be completed within six to nine months, Chahal said.In Phase II, NDMC will extend the smart irrigation network to 11 more roads covering 19.1km, at an estimated cost of Rs 16.5 crore. These include Maharishi Raman Marg, Lodhi Estate lanes, Max Muller Marg, Subramaniam Bharti Marg, San Martin Marg and Jesus and Mary Road, among others. Five major parks — Lodhi Garden, Talkatora Garden, Children’s Park, Sanjay Lake and the park behind Satya Sadan — will also be brought under the system.Anticipating higher demand for treated water, NDMC floated tenders for five new STPs with a combined capacity of 2,250 kilolitres per day (KLD) at a cost of Rs 57.2 crore. These may be commissioned by Nov 2026. The sites include Ashoka Road, Rajendra Prasad Road, Bharti Nagar, INA metro station and Bapu Dham. While four plants will generate 500 KLD each, the Bapu Dham unit will have a capacity of 250 KLD. Eight more STPs have also been proposed on a public-private partnership (PPP) model, taking the total number of STPs in NDMC area to 25.To strengthen the sewer infrastructure, NDMC has proposed rehabilitation of the 2,100mm twin brick barrel sewer line from C-Hexagon to Lodhi Road via Zakir Hussain Marg, Golf Course and Subramaniam Bharti Marg in two phases, costing Rs 77 crore each. Cleaning and rehabilitation of a 450mm sewer line from Sardar Patel Marg to Shanti Path via Panchsheel Marg using CIPP technology has been proposed at Rs 8 crore. Rehabilitation of the 1,100-1,200mm sewer line on Ashoka Road from Nirvachan Sadan to C-Hexagon is also planned at a cost of Rs 19 crore. NDMC also plans the cleaning and rehabilitation of the brick-barrel sewer from Kushak Nallah to Aurobindo Marg (Brigadier Hoshiar Singh Marg) at a cost of Rs 23 crore.
