Nagpur: As part of its pre-monsoon preparedness efforts, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has launched an intensive river cleaning campaign across the city’s three major rivers—Nag, Pili, and Pohra. The drive, being carried out on a war footing, has so far covered a stretch of 39.04 kilometers, with approximately 30,065 cubic meters of silt already removed from riverbeds.

This annual exercise is conducted by the civic body to ensure smooth water flow during the monsoon and to mitigate the risk of flooding. Acting on the directives of NMC Commissioner and Administrator Dr. Abhijit Chaudhari, the Public Works Department has mobilized resources under the supervision of Additional Commissioner Vaishnavi B.

Nagpur’s river system spans a total length of 49.17 kilometers, including 16.58 km of the Nag River, 17.42 km of the Pili River, and 15.17 km of the Pohra River. The ongoing cleanup involves desilting riverbeds to enhance their water-carrying capacity, thereby preventing waterlogging and overflow during heavy rains. Machinery such as poclain excavators, JCBs, and tippers have been deployed for the work.

Detailed Progress Across Rivers:

• Nag River: Cleaning work has been divided into five phases—from Ambazari Lake to Panchsheel Square, Panchsheel Square to Ashok Square, Ashok Square to St. Xavier’s School to Pardi Flyover, and Pardi Flyover to the Nag-Pili River confluence. So far, 11.84 km have been cleaned and 20,254 cubic meters of silt have been removed.

• Pili River: Stretching from Gorewada Lake to Nara cremation ground, Nara to STP Wanjra, and STP Wanjra to the Nag-Pili confluence, 14.45 km of the riverbed have been cleaned, with 4,610 cubic meters of silt extracted.

• Pohra River: Work spans from Sahakar Nagar Ghat to Beltarodi Bridge, Beltarodi Bridge to Hudkeshwar-Pipla Fata Bridge, and Pipla Fata to Narsala-Vihirgaon. A total of 12.76 km have been cleaned, removing 5,201 cubic meters of silt.

Currently, the operation involves nine poclain machines, one JCB, and one tipper truck. The cleaning campaign is progressing steadily and is expected to be completed before the onset of the monsoon, according to Superintendent Engineer Manoj Talewar of the NMC’s Public Works Department.