Delhi LG to lead plantation drive at Kamla Nehru Ridge tomorrow
New Delhi, July 30
Delhi Lieutenant Governor T.S. Sandhu will lead DDA's mega plantation drive at Kamla Nehru Ridge near Delhi University on July 31, an official said.
On Thursday, the Vice Chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) invited citizens to join the event in large numbers, the official said in a statement.
Earlier, the DDA concluded three Stakeholder Consultation Workshops under the Yamuna Dialogues on July 25.
The workshops formed part of DDA's initiative, under the guidance of Sandhu, to develop a shared vision for the future of the Yamuna floodplains.
A key takeaway across all three workshops was that the future of the river depends upon collaboration. Participants emphasized that no single intervention - or institution - can achieve lasting transformation and emphasised the need for organisations, experts, communities, and citizens to work together through coordinated and long-term action.
The recommendations emerging from the consultations will now be consolidated into the Zero Draft of the Delhi Yamuna Compact, which will be circulated among stakeholders for further comments and refinement before being deliberated upon at the Yamuna Dialogues being held on September 11 at Baansera, New Delhi.
The workshops followed preliminary visits undertaken by the Lieutenant Governor to the Yamuna floodplains and subsequent review meetings with senior officials of the DDA, during which he issued directions for tackling pollution in the river through a multi-dimensional approach, said an official statement.
Over the course of the consultation series, the DDA brought together policymakers, government agencies, environmental experts, financial institutions, scientists, urban planners, landscape architects, technical institutions, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to deliberate on the ecological, planning, institutional, and financial dimensions of restoring and sustaining the Yamuna floodplains.
Collectively, the consultations examined six interrelated themes - Floodplain-Responsive Planning, Ghat Development, Nature-Based Solutions, Water Quality and Drainage, Sustainable Financing Models, and Governance Mechanisms, said the statement.
Drawing on national and international best practices, participants explored practical, implementable approaches tailored to the unique ecological character of the Yamuna floodplains.
Together, these deliberations have helped shape a holistic framework that recognises ecological restoration, environmental monitoring, sustainable financing, effective governance, and community stewardship as complementary pillars of a resilient Yamuna floodplain.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I live near Delhi University and the ridge area is a mess - garbage everywhere, stray dogs, and broken benches. Before planting new trees, can we please clean up the existing space? And the Yamuna floodplains restoration sounds great on paper but DDA needs to involve local RWAs and colleges. We students would love to volunteer for cleanup drives if someone actually coordinates it properly.
As someone who worked on river restoration projects in the UK, I appreciate the multi-stakeholder approach mentioned here. The 'Yamuna Dialogues' concept is innovative, but the proof will be in implementation. I hope they include real-time water quality monitoring data and publish regular progress reports. Otherwise, it's just another committee that produces reports nobody reads.
The Yamuna floodplains have been neglected for decades. My grandfather used to tell me stories about boating in the Yamuna during the 1960s. Now it's a sewage drain. All these workshops are fine, but we need to stop industrial effluent from entering the river. Without tackling pollution at the source (factories in Haryana, Delhi's untreated sewage), no amount of 'nature-based solutions' will work.
Finally, some serious action on the ridge! I've seen how the Aravali Biodiversity Park near Vasant Vihar transformed over the years. If DDA shows the same dedication, Kamla Nehru Ridge can become a proper urban forest. Hope they plant native species like Dhak, Amaltas, and Neem rather than exotic ornamental trees. Local ecology matters! 🌿
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