Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari told the Delhi Government to explore ways to clean up the River Yamuna and make it navigable.
Chairing a meeting on rejuvenation of the Yamuna River and to make its stretch in Delhi navigable here on Wednesday, Gadkari said that a sense of involvement and community participation for the development of the river front should be inculcated.
Among the issues discussed were: To make sufficient water flow/discharge available in the river throughout the year. The issue of treatment of sewage and industrial waste in Delhi before discharging into the river for augmenting its water level. To undertake development and beautification of the river banks in an ecologically sound and environment sensitive manner.
Gadkari asked representatives of the Delhi Government to explore the possibility of constructing navigational barrages on the Delhi stretch of Yamuna to augment the flow of the river as suggested by Central Water Commission in one of their earlier reports.
The project also entails augmenting the water capacity by recharging the 4/5 (Four/Five) big lakes which are close to the river and connecting/channelizing their flow into the river.
Also Read
The Delhi Government also has a plan for taking up a pilot project around the "Signature Bridge" presently under construction in the city to improve the water flow in the stretch by dredging and installing an "inflatable rubber weir" to hold back enough water during the lean season to provide 2-3 mtrs. (Two to three mtrs.) depth for navigation purposes throughout the year.
It was also proposed that the project should be made self-sustaining through disposal/auction of dredged material for construction purposes. Similarly, it was suggested that the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) model for Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) being constructed by Delhi administration may be implemented where ever feasible. Another proposal put forward for consideration was to provide the treated water from the STPs to the users on chargeable basis thus generating some revenue for the river rejuvenation project.
Senior officials of the Ministry, Delhi Government, and representatives/experts from IIT- Delhi, TERI, WAPCOS, RITES and some prominent international companies attended the meeting.
