High-rise near campus may be unfeasible: DU

The groundwater table in the university area was fairly high (up to 6 metres below ground level), and the construction of a basement and the foundation work would require digging up to 13 to 14 metres.

Higher groundwater table may impact the structural integrity of a 36-storey reisdential high-rise building project planned near the Vishwavidyalaya Metro station, the Delhi University has said in a submission before the National Green Tribunal citing a study by the varsity Geology professor.

The NGT will hear the matter on Tuesday.

The groundwater table in the university area was fairly high (up to 6 metres below ground level), and the construction of a basement and the foundation work would require digging up to 13 to 14 metres. This will impact the structural integrity of the planned building and may lead to flooding in the basements of nearby buildings, the DU told the green tribunal on March 13.

The NGT will hear the matter on Tuesday.

The group-housing project proposed to be built will have a built-up area of 1,37,879.64 sqmtrs and involves construction of 38 floors and a basement which will consist of 446. The site – initially part of a 3.05 hectare land allotted to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was later sold to a private builder after the metro station was built in a one-hectare of land.

DU approached the NGT against it in 2019, saying it may lead to traffic congestion in the area and damage the nearby Ridge.

The project proponent meanwhile has been stating that all necessary clearances required for the project were sought, including the environmental clearance, while studies by an independent committee has also cleared the project.

“The foundation of the high rise building needs to be up to 12 to 13 metres below ground level (mbgl), so for any construction to begin, the groundwater level will need to be lowered to about 14 mbgl from the present range of 6 to 7 mbgl. This will require local desaturation of about 7 to 8 metres of the aquifer and the desaturation needs to be maintained, till the time, the basement is suitably constructed,” the DU said citing the report by Shashank Shekhar.

In January last year, NGT had rejected the environmental clearance (EC) to the project, asking the builder to take a fresh clearance from the Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF).

A fresh clearance was later received in May, 2021, but DU has been opposing the clearance too, claiming that the panel that awarded the clearance had the same members as the one that cleared it the first time.

According to the report by Shekhar, the high-rise may impact the Gandhi Bhawan, residence of the vice chancellor, Meghdoot hostel for women, the building of the campus of open learning, nearby staff quarters and private houses.

“We have made our submissions and now the NGT will hear their (the builder) side before passing its judgment. Not only will this building complex be structurally unstable due to the high groundwater table, but also damage other buildings in the area. We have raised several environmental concerns and traffic congestion, and the fact that the building is coming up in seismic zone 4,” said a DU official who asked not to be named.