In a bid to clean and restore the Yamuna, Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra on Tuesday called on Union Water Minister Uma Bharti. In the meeting, senior officials of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) presented comprehensive plan to restore the ecological values of the river.
While appreciating DJB’s efforts to make the Yamuna clean, Bharti said, “The DJB has incorporated almost all the points suggested by the Union Water Ministry as well.”
“The Central Government assures its support to this initiative to clean the Yamuna and will implement this Yamuna turnaround plan on a war-footing,” said the Union Minister.
Mishra led a delegation of officers from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to present a comprehensive plan on the river Yamuna to Bharti at Shramshakti Bhawan.
“This is the first comprehensive plan with concrete costing and timelines for the cleaning of the Yamuna and its drains and at the same time will restore the ecological value of the river and bring the people back to the riverfront,” said DJB senior official.
According to DJB officials, to achieve the target of clean Yamuna, first there is need to stop the sludge coming from Haryana and clean the Nallahs (drains) draining into the Yamuna. “Restoring the ecological value of the river will be achieved by creation of biodiversity parks and ecological landscapeslike: Treatment wetlands, Catchment wetlands, Mosaic of grasslands, Floodplain forests, Terrestrial forest communities, New habitats. Creating value for city via public spaces, recreational spaces, navigation and water oriented development (WOD). Having a long-term management model with self-sustainable O&M models,” said a senior official while presenting the plan.
Mishra said, “I am grateful for the time and inputs that have been provided to us by Uma Bharti and various officials and bureaucrats of the Union Water Ministry. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, we will restore the status of the Yamuna to the one that it deserves.”