Govt to transform polluted drain into solar power corridor

In an ambitious bid to blend environmental rehabilitation with clean energy production, the Delhi government is preparing to turn the polluted Najafgarh drain into a solar power corridor.

- AIMAN FATIMA

NEW DELHI: The initiative, which combines climate resilience, renewable energy goals, and infrastructure optimization, is being seen as one of the most innovative urban sustainability projects the capital has undertaken.

Power minister Ashish Sood confirmed that the project, originally suggested by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena in April 2023, is now at the final planning stage. "We're not just looking at this as a power project," Sood said. "This is about setting a new template for how urban spaces even the most neglected ones can be reinvented. This drain, once synonymous with pollution, will now become a source of clean energy and water conservation."

Under the proposed canal-top solar initiative, solar panels will be mounted over stretches of the Najafgarh drain to generate 30 megawatts (MW) of electricity. The first phase will see installations over a 6-kilometre segment between Dhansa border and Ghummanhera, targeting an initial output of 5MW. Eventually, multiple solar "pockets" will be developed across the 51-km long drain to reach full capacity.