New Delhi:
Delhi wants its own version of Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Riverfront. From Palla to Kalindi Kunj, the government is planning walking and cycling tracks, sports grounds and public spaces along the Yamuna. But the project is still on the drawing board, and the river itself remains heavily polluted.
Water Minister Parvesh Verma said the government has moved a proposal to sign an agreement with the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation and is hiring consultants to work on the project.
A Riverfront In Two Phases
The Wazirabad barrage will divide the project into two stretches. The first phase will cover Palla to Wazirabad, while the second will extend from Wazirabad to Kalindi Kunj, near the Okhla barrage.
The Palla-Wazirabad stretch will be developed first, serving as a model for the rest of the riverfront.
The plan includes spaces for yoga, morning walks, cycling and sports, with the government looking to make the riverbanks accessible to residents.
Verma said that if things go according to plan, Delhi residents will be able to see a model of the riverfront within the government's current term. He did not give a timeline for completing the entire project.
The minister had visited the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad in August with officials from the Delhi Jal Board and the Irrigation and Flood Control Department to study the project.
The Bigger Challenge: Cleaning The Yamuna
But developing the riverfront is only part of the challenge. Cleaning the Yamuna remains a much bigger task.
The river flows for about 52 kilometres through Delhi, with the 22-kilometre stretch between Wazirabad and Okhla among its most polluted sections.
The problem persists despite years of clean-up efforts. Delhi Pollution Control Committee data showed that faecal contamination increased at three monitoring points in September compared with August, including Wazirabad and Nizamuddin Bridge.
Verma said 28 of Delhi's 37 sewage treatment plants have been upgraded over the past 18 months. The government plans to add another 250 million gallons per day (MGD) of treatment capacity to address the existing shortfall.
The minister said the Yamuna could become visibly cleaner in about two-and-a-half years as the sewage treatment projects are completed.
Not Delhi's First Riverfront Plan
Delhi has been trying to restore and develop the Yamuna's banks for years.
In 2019, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) prepared a plan to restore and rejuvenate nearly 1,476 hectares of the river's floodplains across 10 project areas.
Development along the river also faces environmental restrictions, particularly in its floodplains.
In September, the DDA told the National Green Tribunal that it had installed 277 boundary markers along the Wazirabad-Okhla stretch, while demarcation work in the remaining areas was to be taken up in another phase.
For now, the proposed Sabarmati-style riverfront remains in the planning stage.