Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Sunday reviewed the work done under Phase 1 of the Yamuna rejuvenation project and said that about 1,200 metric tonnes of garbage had been removed from the river since the launch of the project on February 12.
Speaking to reporters during the inspection visit of an 11-km stretch of the Yamuna between the Signature Bridge to the ITO barrage, Mr. Saxena said that Phase 2 of the project will begin from Monday on the next 11-km stretch.
“The 22-km stretch of the Yamuna has been divided into two parts. We have completed the first stretch today. I am sure we will succeed in cleaning the entire river in Delhi by the June 30 deadline,” he said.
The project is going on under the monitoring of a high-level committee on the Yamuna cleaning set-up by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in January with the L-G as its head.
Later in a tweet, the L-G said, “Happy to share, a significant improvement on various parameters in Yamuna with removal of 1200 MT of garbage from the river since works commenced on February 12. The second phase will commence tomorrow (Monday) with focus on transformation through cleaning of Yamuna banks and desilting of midstream muck.”
“Testimony to the exercise is that 30 motor boats could simultaneously cruise through the river for 11 km between Wazirabad and ITO,” he wrote.
A senior official at the Raj Niwas said that the main objective of this project was to remove garbage from the river, its ghats and floodplains. “We are not claiming that the water will become completely pure by June 30. Improving water quality requires serious efforts on various fronts which are also being made. This project is a part of those efforts,” he told The Hindu.
The L-G also said the efforts made to clean the Najafgarh drain, which accounts for about 70% pollution in the Yamuna, have resulted in bringing down the biological oxygen demand (BOD) from 80 to 60 now.
“We will see the impact of our efforts in the coming time and reduce the BOD by at least 20-30 points,” he added.
Mr. Saxena said that about 2,400 MT debris had also been removed from the Najafgarh drain.
“The mindset of the people has also changed now as the amount of garbage that used to be thrown into the Yamuna and the Najafgarh drain has reduced,” he said, adding, “small-small steps taken by various agencies were making an impact.”
Earlier on Friday, Mr. Saxena chaired a meeting of senior officials from Haryana and Delhi and asked them to ensure seamless coordination to rejuvenate the Yamuna.
