Wazirabad barrage to be upgraded soon, says Satyendar Jain

Water minister Satyendar Jain, who convened a meeting with senior officials of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Irrigation and flood department on Friday, said the barrage will be equipped with the latest flood alarm systems for quick response during monsoon.

Taking a step towards averting flooding along the Yamuna bank during monsoons, the Delhi government has decided to upgrade the Wazirabad barrage in order to increase its strength and boost the response time of the barrage gates, the water minister Satyendar Jain said on Friday.

Satyendar Jain claimed that the new barrage will further stabilise river water elevation needed to feed DJB’s water treatment plants. (HT Archives)

Jain, who convened a meeting with senior officials of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Irrigation and flood department on Friday, said the barrage will be equipped with the latest flood alarm systems for quick response during monsoon. “This will be a key step to stop flooding in nearby areas and will help safeguard the property and lives of people. This new barrage will also help to hold more water during the non-rainy season, leading to more water percolation, which will further help to increase the groundwater levels of the city,” said Jain.

The minister claimed that the new barrage will further stabilise river water elevation needed to feed DJB’s water treatment plants.

A senior DJB official stated that the Wazirabad barrage across Yamuna was built in 1959. “A barrage is a diversion dam which consists of a number of large gates that can be opened or closed to control the amount of water passing through it. This allows us to regulate and stabilise river water elevation upstream for use in irrigation and other systems. Yamuna has a total of six barrages,” official added.

The DJB official explained that during monsoon, up to four-five lakh million gallons of water flows through the barrage each day. “The reconstruction of the new barrage gates will help increase the strength of the gates so that they can withstand the high-water pressure. This will help in regulating more water during the non-rainy season, and increase its percolation. Every year, the supply of drinking water is interrupted due to excess ammonia in the water. In such a case, the water held in these newly constructed barrages can be used to dilute the contaminants,” the official said.

Jain said that through the overhaul, the government also aims to reduce silt deposition in the Wazirabad pond so that the holding capacity of drinking water can also be increased.

There are six major barrages constructed across the Yamuna in four states -- Dakpathar in Uttarakhand; Hathnikund in Haryana; Wazirabad, Indraprastha and Okhla in Delhi; and Gokul bararge in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura. Yamuna water is severely polluted beyond the Wazirabad barrage.