Dwarka residents oppose construction of drain at the cost of 600 trees

The three-km-long drain will be constructed from the airport up to Bharat Vandana Park and further to Trunk Drain 2. A sizeable portion of the drain, which will be completely underground, will pass through a waterbody and a park in Dwarka’s Sector 8 near Bagdola village.

Residents of Dwarka’s Sector 8 are opposing the construction of a stormwater drain between IGI Airport to Trunk Drain 2 (near Bharat Vandana Park, Dwarka), saying close to 600 trees will have to be felled or transplanted for the ₹70- crore project, which is being executed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

The residents have written to the land-owning agency to rework plans to minimise the damage to the green cover. (HT Photo)

The residents have written to the land-owning agency to rework plans to minimise the damage to the green cover. But DDA officials said there is no possible alternative route, as the road under which part of the drain will be constructed is narrow.

With work on the expansion of Indira Gandhi International Airport, including a new runway, going on, DDA officials said the drain is needed to ensure that there is no waterlogging at the airport.

The three-km-long drain will be constructed from the airport up to Bharat Vandana Park and further to Trunk Drain 2. A sizeable portion of the drain, which will be completely underground, will pass through a waterbody and a park in Dwarka’s Sector 8 near Bagdola village.

DDA has sought approval from the Delhi government’s forest department to transplant and cut close to 600 trees. “We applied for tree felling permission in October last year. But we are yet to get the permission. The plan for the drain was prepared after careful study of all feasible options,” said a DDA official in-charge of the project.

Residents of Sector 8 said the plan will destroy the green cover.

Amit Kumar, a resident of Sector 8, said, “This is the only park available for Sector 8 residents, Bagdola village and Raj Nagar park-II. DDA has already done the markings on the ground and close to 600 trees, including hundreds of trees inside the park, will be damaged in the process. We have made several requests and also submitted an alternative plan to the DDA to save the trees.”

DDA officials said the alternative plan suggested by the residents is not feasible as the road width is just 13 metres whereas the proposed drain is more than 20 metres wide . “They have discussed their proposal with us. The plan for the stormwater drain was prepared by experts after careful study of the area. As of now, there is no change in the plan. We have applied for permission from various departments,” said the official.

The project has been in the making since 2016. According to first DDA official, “For airport’s expansion plan, DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) approached DDA to construct the stormwater drain. But after several rounds of deliberations with DIAL, it has been decided that a 20-22 metre wide drain will be constructed. The plan was finalised in 2018 and the work was awarded last year.”

DIAL didn’t comment on the matter.

Kumar, who is leading the campaign to protect the trees in the neighbourhood, said, “All the residents are against it. We have submitted an alternative plan to DDA. If they go ahead with the original plan, then we will explore other recourse.”

Satish Bhardwaj, another resident of sector 8, said, “DDA should look for an alternative plan and save these trees. On the one hand, efforts are made to combat air pollution, and on the other, government agencies want to cut trees for development work.”

Environmental activist Diwan Singh said, “It looks unnecessary to cut so many trees to construct the drain. The existing drain is enough to carry the excess water. If need be, recharge pits can be constructed along the proposed runway at the airport. There is plenty of land available. DDA needs to find a way to minimise the damage to the environment.”