Yamuna revival plan: Govt, corporates, and citizens to work together

New Delhi: The water level of the Yamuna, which had been rising in Delhi for the past week, has now gone below the danger mark, bringing some relief to the city. The river, which usually makes headlines only during the monsoon or for its pollution, is now at the centre of a major revival effort. Since the formation of the new government in Delhi, several decisions have been taken to restore the Yamuna and bring it back to life.

An important meeting was held at Raj Niwas to explore how corporate companies can contribute to this mission through Corporate Social Responsibility. The central government is closely monitoring the progress, while Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has held multiple rounds of discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue.

Delhi minister Pravesh Verma said that there was a detailed discussion on developing the Yamuna as a riverfront and creating a long-term action plan. He stressed that the Yamuna is not only a river but also the heartbeat of Delhi and a symbol of the city’s cultural and spiritual heritage. He said it was the responsibility of the government, the corporate sector and the people together to ensure that the Yamuna is revived in a clean and life-giving form. He added that this dialogue would not remain limited to words but marked an important step towards concrete action and implementation.

The meeting was attended by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Chief Secretary Dharmendra Kumar and representatives of several corporate groups. Under the new system, the responsibility of the high-level committee for Yamuna’s revival has been handed to the Chief Minister. Two main committees have been formed to work on the river’s revival-one chaired by the Chief Minister and the other by the Chief Secretary-while all other earlier committees have been abolished to streamline the effort.

The Yamuna enters Delhi at Palla village in outer Delhi and flows for 44 kilometres before exiting at Jaitpur in South Delhi. Its water remains relatively clean until Wazirabad, but the 22-kilometre stretch from there to Okhla is heavily polluted and resembles a drain. Though the river flows only 2 percent of its total length in Delhi, this stretch contributes nearly 80 percent of the Yamuna’s pollution. Out of the 22 drains that fall into the river here, 18 carry highly polluted sewage. The Najafgarh drain alone accounts for the largest share of this pollution. Between Wazirabad and Okhla, the Yamuna is considered biologically dead because there is no dissolved oxygen left in it.

To address this, the government has announced several measures. A ₹1,500 crore plan has been prepared to strengthen Delhi’s sewage system, which includes the construction of 40 new sewage treatment plants. A riverfront is planned on the lines of the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad, and a contract has been signed with the organisation that developed the Sabarmati project.