Worn on wetland to clean Kondli drain to begin next week

NOIDA: The Uttar Pradesh irrigation department is likely to start work on the creation of a wetland next week to clean waste water of Kondli drain, one of the major sources of pollution of river Yamuna in Delhi-NCR

NOIDA: The Uttar Pradesh irrigation department is likely to start work on the creation of a wetland next week to clean waste water of Kondli drain, one of the major sources of pollution of river Yamuna in Delhi-NCR.

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The development comes after the Noida authority, which is funding the project, said that it has sanctioned ₹1.5 crore for the creation of a wetland. “The fund has been sanctioned and is being transferred to the UP irrigation department,” said Ritu Maheshwari, chief executive officer, Noida authority.

In February last year, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had ordered in-situ treatment of the Kondli drain jointly by the UP irrigation department and the Noida authority. In continuation to the NGT order, the irrigation department in August had proposed to create six wetlands at different sites of the drain that cuts Noida into two parts and finally merges with the Yamuna at Sector 168.

“We have already made a detailed project report for creation of wetlands to clean Kondli drain. We have also hired a private agency and awarded the work too. Once we receive the funds from the Noida authority, we will start the work immediately,” said VK Pandey, assistant engineer of UP irrigation department.

The irrigation department will first create one wetland, and the work on other wetlands will begin when the authority releases more funds (out of a total ₹6.5 crore approved for the entire project), said the officials.

“As a pilot project, we have decided to develop the first wetland at this drain near Sector 50 to clean waste water,” said Pandey.

Residents have been demanding that the drain should be cleaned as it causes pollution in many residential areas that include sectors 11, 12, 22, 23, 23, 33, 34, 35, 50, 51, 77, 78, 137 and 168, among others.

The legal battle to clean the Kondli drain was initiated by Noida resident and environment activist Abhisht Gupta in NGT in November 2018. “If the water of this drain is cleaned, it will benefit ecology of Noida,” said Gupta, a resident of Sector 137.

The 40-year-old and 20km long Kondli drain originates from Kondli village in Delhi and enters Noida (via Ghaziabad) near Hari Darshan police post in Sector 11. After travelling through Noida for about 17km, through sectors 11, 12, 22, 50, and 92, it empties into the Yamuna near Chak Mangrola in Sector 168.