Govt embarks on ambitious project to rejuvenate river
The Delhi Government has embarked on an ambitious project to rejuvenate the river Yamuna with an aim to rid the river of pollutants, stop discharge of all sorts of effluents into it and turn its riverfront environment-friendly.
The Rejuvenation of River Yamuna project is being implemented by the Delhi Government with assistance from the Centre and Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Officials said assistance of Netherlands in areas of expertise like river engineering and modelling, water resources management and pollution control to clean the Yamuna has been sought.
lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Monday chaired a meeting of the governing body of the Unified Centre for Rejuvenation of River Yamuna, which was the nodal agency for implementation of the project.
The meeting was attended by representatives from Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), Ministry of Water Resources, Central Ground Water Board, DDA, Delhi Jal Board (DJB),
PWD, DMRC and Delhi Government. The plan to rejuvenate the river is being coordinated by DJB through its interceptor sewage project while the riverfront development has been entrusted to DDA, which will set up biodiversity parks and recreational spaces.
Asking all departments concerned and agencies to work hard on the project, Jung instructed Environment Secretary Sanjeev Kumar to take steps through Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to ensure that pollutants, especially from industries, are not allowed to flow into the Yamuna.
The l-G underlined the need to increase the quantum of water in Yamuna and informed officials that dredging of lakes such as Bhalswa Horseshoe and Sanjay could help create capacity to store water during the monsoons. Jung directed the officials to start work on it immediately.
“The key objectives are to make river Yamuna into a thriving river, together with cleaning it and beautifying the riverfront, which is at the same time environment-friendly,” said a senior official.
Jung reiterated Delhi Government’s commitment to Yamuna’s rejuvenation saying it was high priority. “While DJB’s interceptor sewage project shall be able to check 70 per cent of the sewage flow into the river, the sewage from other drains also needs to be intercepted to check pollutants from entering the Yamuna,” he said.
The Unified Centre for Rejuvenation of River Yamuna aims to ensure conservation, protection and rejuvenation of the Yamuna and to promote and secure the requisite development activities along the river and its floodplains within Delhi.
Its mandate includes restoration of the river, making reservoirs for water augmentation within Delhi, cleaning of water and development of the floodplains besides trying to address certain interstate issues at appropriate level.
Officials said experts from the Netherlands will help in developing a marketing plan to promote inland waterway transport, cleaning the river and suggest measures for creating mega reservoirs. They will also provide technical assistance in ensuring zero discharge and treating sewage besides developing an environment-friendly and “socially conscious” riverfront. The first phase of the project involves data collection and compilation, its analysis, identification of gaps and conducting requisite investigations and surveys, if required. It also involves carrying out river engineering studies and water flow assessment management and suggesting measures for creation of water storage, navigation etc. A timeline of six months has been fixed for the first phase.