NEWS

The answer to Delhi’s water woes may lie in a previously untapped resource: the Yamuna floodplain. The river’s floodplain has the capacity to absorb at least half the volume of Yamuna and can help ease water woes for more than half the Capital’s populace, a
committee of experts has suggested. The idea has been put forward by experts on the Lieutenant Governor’s (L-G) committee on the Yamuna. The team comprises Professor Vikram Soni (of National Physical Laboratory), A K Gosain (IIT-Delhi), P S Datta (Indian Agriculture Research Institute), Manu Bhatnagar (INTACH ), and Diwan Singh (Natural Heritage First). “The scheme proves that if used properly, the Yamuna floodplain can provide at least 1 billion cubicmetres of water, which is three-fourths of Delhi’s water needs,” Soni said. The plan suggests creating barrages with embankments at the Yamuna’s entry point to Delhi — at Palla, Wazirabad — between the places, and at Okhla, the river’s exit point. Up next, it suggests creation of a 30-40-metre-deep underground bund across the river at Okhla, similar to the natural bund in Wazirabad.