Haryana Government has decided to prepare a rejuvenation and riverfront development plan for Ghaggar river focusing on aspects including flood mitigation measures, environment protection and commercial development.
The decision to prepare a comprehensive riverfront development plan for Ghaggar river has been taken after the directions from Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to study, identify and integrate catchments of river Ghaggar in Panchkula to suggest flood mitigation and environment protection. Ghaggar originates from Dagshai village in Himachal’s Solan district and flows through Haryana, Punjab, and then ends in Rajasthan. The river and its tributaries — Markanda and Tangri — pass from Kalka, Panchkula, Ambala, among other places in Haryana.
The river swells every year during monsoon and many drowning mishaps have been reported over the past years in the State.
“The State Government has planned to rope in experts to chalk out flood mitigation measures for river Ghaggar in Panchkula besides exploring prospects of commercial development. The riverfront development plan will focus on environment protection,” said a senior official of the State Government while talking to The Pioneer.
The official said that the issue was discussed during a meeting of the Panchkula Integrated Development Plan and it was proposed to provide Panchkula with a meaningful waterfront environment along the banks of the river Ghaggar. The plan is to positively transform the neglected aspects of the riverfront and assess the possibilities of the urban developments along the banks of river or available land parcels, the official added.
Under the commercial development component, the government is keen to explore feasibility of navigation or boating within the river to encourage tourism, development of urban forest, nature park, landscaping along the banks of river and development of gardens, ponds, etc. for recreation purposes.
For flood mitigation measures for river Ghaggar, collection of various hydraulic parameters like rainfall, runoff, discharge, and preparation and study of hydrological model is proposed.
Apart from this, options like increasing holding capacity and carrying capacity of river by further deepening of riverbed, creation or development of cascades or holding ponds within Ghaggar river, identification of suitable location and construction methodology for surface or underground holding ponds in the vicinity of river, identification of suitable location and construction methodology for weir or barrages with gates will also be explored.
For environment protection, the government has proposed to work on steps to protect banks of the river, channelization or diversion of wastewater flow into river, encourage aquatic life, increase green belt along the banks of river among other measures.