Delhi LG tells DDA to intensify efforts to revive Yamuna

Lieutenant Governor Sandhu urged DDA to enhance efforts to revive 32 ghats along the Yamuna for ecological, cultural, and public benefits, ensuring timely implementation.

Lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Monday directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials to intensify ongoing interventions for reviving 32 ghats along Yamuna Bazar under the Yamuna Rejuvenation Projects, officials said.

Lieutenant governor said that the 32 ghats along the Yamuna Bazar had to be revived as cultural, heritage, and public destinations. (HT archive)

During a review meeting on Monday, the LG stated that Yamuna functions as Delhi’s ecological lifeline, and a key urban asset. “Flood preparedness, river restoration, groundwater recharge and environmental sustainability must progress through an integrated, outcome-driven and time-bound approach,” he said.

Speaking about restoring Delhi’s river identity, Sandhu said that the 32 ghats along the Yamuna Bazar had to be revived as cultural, heritage, and public destinations.

During the meeting, officials stated that restoration and riverfront development works had been completed across 1,700 hectares of Yamuna floodplains. Under the works, approximately 88,574 tonnes of construction and demolition waste and 4,998 tonnes of municipal waste have been removed, while around 1,425 acres of floodplain land have been reclaimed, restored, and had encroachments removed from.

DDA officials also informed the LG that the restoration programme has included plantation of over 0.7 million native trees and the introduction of over 10 million riverine grasses and wetland species across the floodplain. “Significantly, 35 wetlands with a cumulative water-holding capacity of nearly 1,420 million litres have been developed across the river corridor, strengthening groundwater recharge, enhancing biodiversity and reinforcing the floodplain’s natural ability to moderate flood impacts,” said a DDA official.

Sandhu also emphasised the potential for Yamuna riverfront to be developed as an important cultural and public destination in the city, through spiritual tourism, heritage conservation, green spaces, and flood resilience. “The initiative should create livelihood opportunities while reconnecting citizens with the river, and Yamuna rejuvenation should be pursued as a flagship urban transformation programme with measurable outcomes, stronger inter-agency coordination and timely implementation,” he said.

Sandhu directed officials to expedite approvals required for the work, and complete all preparation activities to allow the phased commencement of restoration and redevelopment works within the next six months.