New Delhi, Oct 19 The Delhi government will develop the Yamuna riverfront in two phases, with the Wazirabad barrage dividing the project into two stretches, Water Minister Parvesh Verma said on Monday.
The government is also planning to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation in Gujarat to study its riverfront development model, he said.
“We are currently hiring consultants for the Yamuna riverfront. It will be developed in two phases — the first from Palla to Wazirabad and the second from Wazirabad to Okhla barrage. We have moved a proposal to sign an MoU soon,” Verma said.
The Sabarmati model will be studied closely, and its best practices adapted to Delhi’s needs to create a clean, green and world-class Yamuna riverfront, he added.
The government plans to develop cycle tracks, walking tracks, sports grounds and other recreational spaces along the river.
“If all goes well, before the next election, the model of the riverfront will be visible to the people of Delhi, and lakhs of Delhi residents will be able to do yoga, take walks and enjoy the space,” Verma said.
Earlier, Verma visited the Sabarmati riverfront during a study tour along with officials from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Irrigation and Flood Control department.
The minister also said the Yamuna would become visibly cleaner only after about two-and-a-half years, when several sewage treatment plant (STP) upgradation projects are completed and the city’s sewage treatment capacity reaches 100 per cent.
“The Yamuna’s water is still not clean today because, out of our 37 existing sewage treatment plants, we have upgraded 28 in the past one-and-a-half years. But there is still a gap of 250 million gallons per day (MGD) in sewage treatment capacity, for which new plants are being constructed,” he said in a statement.
The Yamuna flows for 52 km through Delhi, of which a 22-km stretch between the Wazirabad and Okhla barrages is heavily polluted and has been the focus of several planning and policy initiatives.
(PTI News)
