Delhi govt's project for conserving water in Yamuna floodplains gets clearances

The Delhi government plan aimed at the storage of floodwater in the Yamuna flood plains has got all the nods required for going ahead with the pilot project.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Court gave its go-ahead to the project on July 25, thus paving the way for the pilot project.

The project aims at conserving water in the Yamuna floodplains and creating a reservoir between Palla and Wazirabad to deal with the water shortage in Delhi, particularly during summer months.

The project envisages the creation of small ponds in the floodplains which will catch water from the overflowing Yamuna during the monsoon season. The project has now got all approvals from all concerned agencies including from the Central government.

Commenting on the project, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that he is fully convinced that only recycle and recharge of water are the solutions to the problem of water scarcity in the national capital, particularly during the harsh summer months.

According to Delhi government, the Yamuna flood plain project is first of its kind in the country and was recommended in BGT order 2015 which talked about Yamuna Rejuvenation plan. In 2015, a principal committee under the Secretary Water Resources Government of India had also conducted a survey and recommended the creation of a reservoir.