Yamuna water storage project gets NGT nod

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 25

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Court today gave its nod to the Delhi Government’s project of storage of water at Yamuna floodplains, thus paving the way for the pilot project.

The project aims at conserving water in the Yamuna floodplains and creating a mega reservoir between Palla and Wazirabad to deal with the water shortage in Delhi, particularly during summer.

Under this project, the government would create small ponds in the floodplains which would store water from an overflowing Yamuna during the monsoon season, said a government official.

The project got approvals from the authorities, including Upper Yamuna River Board, CGWB, NMCG, CWC, NGT Monitoring Committee, NGT Principal Committee and Cabinet of NCT of Delhi, he said.

The official said the project, which could change the water scenario of Delhi, got all the clearances within a short span of 45 days.

The Yamuna floodplain project is a first of its kind in the country. The concept of water recharge and recycle had been heard mostly in developed countries.

The project was recommended in NGT order 2015 ‘Maily Se Nirmal Yamuna Rejuvenation Plan’. Various academic institutions, including IIT-Delhi, NIH, CGWB, IIT-Bombay and Delhi University, indicated the potential to store huge amount of water in Yamuna floodplain.

The principal committee under the Secretary Water Resources, Government of India, at its meeting on September 18, 2015, among other things decided to carry out a field survey of the river zone in NCT of Delhi and its adjoining tracts in UP and Haryana. 

The expert members were to take the lead and the DDA, Government of NCT of Delhi, DJB and UP Irrigation Department were to assist and facilitate the survey. The survey was carried out in October 2015 and recommended creation of reservoir in Palla region.

Mega reservoir plan

The water conservation project aims at conserving water in the Yamuna floodplains and creating a mega reservoir between Palla and Wazirabad to deal with the water shortage issues in the Capital.