Create wetland in six months to clean Kondli drain: CPCB tells UP

NOIDA: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has asked the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department to create a wetland in six months to clean waste water of Kondli

NOIDA: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has asked the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department to create a wetland in six months 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 irrigation department in August this year had proposed to create six wetlands at different sites of the 17.1km drain that cuts Noida into two parts and finally merges with Yamuna at Sector 168.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) in February had ordered in-situ treatment of the drain jointly by the UP irrigation department and the Noida authority. The green tribunal had passed the order after the CPCB suggested that such a treatment can clean the waste water of this drain that is also polluting the groundwater in the city.

“In continuation to NGT order, the UP irrigation department said that it wants to create six wetlands to clean waste water of the drain. We have asked the department that first, as a pilot project, they should create one wetland in six months. If this works out well, then it can work on remaining five wetlands too,” said Vishal Gandhi, scientist with CPCB.

The irrigation department said that it will issue a tender to start work on this project soon. “We have discussed the plan with the Noida authority after CPCB instructions. As a pilot project, we have decided to develop the first wetland near Sector 50 at this drain to clean waste water. We will implement the NGT order and work as per the directions in this regard. The tender will be issued at the earliest after completion of formalities,” said Davendra Thakur, executive engineer of UP irrigation department.

The Noida authority has already sanctioned ₹6.5 crore for this project. “We will fund this project and the irrigation department will be executing the same,” said Avinash Tripathi, officer on special duty, Noida authority.

However, the authority may have to increase the budget for this project because CPCB has suggested some changes in the proposal submitted by the irrigation department.

CPCB has suggested that while creating a wetland, the irrigation department must keep in mind some things like organic loading of drain, hydraulic retention and monsoon period, among other ecological issues.

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. In November 2018, a petition was filed in NGT in this regard.

“CPCB has further suggested removal of deposited silt in space between gabions. We hope that once this plan is implemented, the waste water of this drain will be cleaned. It will make major impact on the ecology of Noida as the unclean drain is also polluted the groundwater,” said Abhisht Gupta, petitioner in this case and a resident of Sector 137.

The 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 in Noida for about 17km through sectors 11, 12, 22, 50, 92 and 168, it empties into the Yamuna near Chak Mangrola in Sector 168.