Yamuna bank to get Sabarmati-style makeover, Delhi minister says

The Delhi government will develop the Yamuna bank on the lines of Sabarmati Riverfront in Gujarat, Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said on Monday. Singh is on a study visit to Gujarat with officials from the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department and Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

The minister said that the Delhi government is also working to build a grand Chhath Ghat along the Yamuna in Kalindi Kunj. "We saw that all the issues that existed in the Sabarmati Riverfront 25-30 years ago are the same issues we face in the Yamuna in Delhi currently. We are also working on the Yamuna riverfront in Delhi just like the Sabarmati Riverfront," Singh said at a press conference.

The minister said the government is planning to build "big, beautiful parks", cycle tracks, and sports grounds along the river." The Sabarmati model will be studied closely and the best practices adapted to Delhi's needs to create a clean, green and world-class Yamuna Riverfront. Maa Yamuna will regain her glory. Delhi will get the riverfront it deserves," the minister said on X.

At present, several projects are in work at Yamuna, including a DJB project to reduce the sewage treatment gap, and another to treat the dairy waste entering the river.

The minister said Yamuna and Sabarmati once shared the same problem of dhobi ghats, and the Gujarat government solved that issue by shifting the ghats and replacing them with mechanised laundry machines, which is under consideration here as well.

Singh pegged the cost of the upcoming Chhath ghat at Kalindi Kunj at Rs 60 crore. The minister also said a special committee is studying CAG reports on DJB for action.