From Ridge to Yamuna: Delhi plans a 200-km green-blue ecological network

India's national capital is set for a major urban revamp under the Master Plan for Delhi 2047, with green-blue infrastructure at its heart

The Master Plan for Delhi (MPD) 2047, notified on Thursday, proposed a 200-km Ridge-Yamuna Park Connector, including a 52-km stretch along the Yamuna floodplain, to “promote connectivity and strengthen the Ridge–Yamuna continuum”.

 

Where feasible, the plan proposed a 75–100 metre-wide public greenway with cycling and walking trails and spaces for passive activities.

 

The connector formed part of a wider “Green Connect network” linking parks, forests, biodiversity parks, baolis, green streets and ecological corridors. It also proposed to integrate Delhi’s green and blue assets with its drains, wetlands, lakes and other water bodies.

Delhi has 22% green cover, but assets remain spread out

Nearly 22 per cent of Delhi’s land area is currently under green cover, according to the Master Plan. The Ridge, classified as a reserved forest, covers about 7,784 hectares, or nearly 6 per cent of the National Capital Territory (NCT).

 

 

Delhi also has 26 protected forests covering about 1,658 hectares, while 40 unclassified forests are maintained as “City Forests” by Delhi’s Department of Forest. The city has more than 18,000 parks and gardens, seven dedicated biodiversity parks and 746 parks maintained by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), covering 6,830 hectares.

 

The plan said that the interconnected network of environmental assets can provide wider benefits for biodiversity, micro-climate and flood management.

What ‘green-blue infrastructure’ means

The Master Plan grouped Delhi’s environmental assets into a wider green-blue infrastructure framework. Its blue assets include the Yamuna and the city’s extensive network of natural and constructed drains, which largely fall within the Najafgarh, Trans-Yamuna and Barapullah drainage basins. The plan also covered wetlands, lakes and other water bodies.

 

The plan proposed a three-pronged approach: first, preserve and improve existing natural assets, second, create new green-blue assets, and finally, introduce green-blue features into the built environment.

 

The approach would bring “enhanced greens, richer biodiversity, reduced temperature, flooding and pollution and improved resilience to climate change,” as per the plan.

 

It further calls for replacing invasive and alien species that affect ecology with indigenous flora where appropriate, along with afforestation using indigenous species and regular monitoring of environmental assets.

Yamuna restoration is at the centre of the plan

The Master Plan identified the 22-km Wazirabad-Okhla stretch as a key area for restoration. The stretch, which accounts for about 76 per cent of the Yamuna’s pollution load, represents less than 2 per cent of the river’s total length.

 

The plan said there was no freshwater flow downstream of Wazirabad during the dry season, with the river receiving treated and untreated wastewater through drains.

 

It proposed 13 major projects covering about 1,700 hectares of floodplain, “focusing on restoring wetlands, natural depressions, floodplain ecosystems, and biodiversity while enhancing climate resilience and groundwater recharge”.

 

The plan proposed de-silting existing wetlands to capture floodwaters and creating new wetlands by deepening natural depressions into storage basins. It also proposed riverine forests, grasslands and green buffers along the river.

 

The active floodplain was designated a “no construction zone”, with specified recreational, public infrastructure and socio-cultural uses subject to approvals.

 

To improve water quality, the plan proposed intercepting and treating all 22 drains discharging into the Yamuna through sewage treatment, constructed wetlands and bioremediation. Their corridors would be integrated with green spaces and floodplains to create “continuous ecological corridors”.

A 200-km Ridge-Yamuna cycling connector

One of the plan’s major connectivity proposals is a Ridge–Yamuna Park Connector. It envisaged an integrated 200-km cycling network, including a 52-km stretch along the Yamuna floodplain, to strengthen what the plan calls the “Ridge–Yamuna continuum”.

 

Where feasible, a 75-100 metre-wide public greenway could be developed along the embankments. The proposed greenway would include cycling and walking trails and spaces for passive activities, with the stated aim of improving access to parks and the river and strengthening the river-people connection.

‘Green buffers’ along the drains

The connectivity proposed under MPD-2047 also proposed developing green buffers along drains as city-level greenways, which would create a city-wide network of green-blue assets connected through pedestrian and cycling paths.

 

These buffers could remain as natural or landscaped green spaces or be developed as wetlands and marshes. They could also incorporate bioswales to capture stormwater and encourage groundwater recharge.

 

Sections could be used for parks, yoga, sports, open-air exhibitions and performances, arboretums, community gardens, boating and kiosks, the plan said. Heritage trails could also form part of the greenways.

Green-blue planning moves into neighbourhoods

MPD-2047 extended its green-blue strategy beyond protected natural areas. In land-pooling areas, existing plantations, wetlands and low-lying areas were to be developed “as public parks and aquifer recharge ponds” while retaining the drainage pattern.

 

The plan also proposed “micro forest, urban forests, green roofs and terraces, community gardens, pollinator gardens, urban wetlands” and artificial water bodies for groundwater recharge.

 

Streets with a right-of-way of 18 metres or more were to be greened with “avenue plantation”, plazas, and “bio-swales along drains”.

 

Under-used sites, including Rajghat and Badarpur thermal power stations, could be repurposed for “ecological, recreational, or other public uses”.

 

The plan also sought to create “one of the greenest metropolitan cities” through afforestation, multi-tier vegetation buffers, expanded city forests, and the conservation of the Ridge, while promoting indigenous trees and restoring native forests.