Sabarmati-Style Riverfront Planned Along 52-km Yamuna Stretch in Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi is planning a Sabarmati-style riverfront along a 52-km stretch of the Yamuna, from Palla to Kalindi Kunj, with walking and cycling tracks, sports grounds and recreational spaces. However, the project is still in the planning stage, while cleaning the heavily polluted river remains a major challenge.

Water Minister Parvesh Verma said the government has proposed an agreement with the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation and is appointing consultants for the project.

Riverfront to Come Up in Two Phases

The project will be divided into two phases, with the first covering Palla to Wazirabad and the second extending from Wazirabad to Kalindi Kunj, near the Okhla barrage. The first stretch will be developed as a model for the larger project.

Verma said residents could see a model of the riverfront during the government’s current term, though no timeline has been announced for completing the entire project. He visited Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Riverfront in August with officials to study its development.

Yamuna Cleanup Remains a Challenge

The 22-km stretch between Wazirabad and Okhla is among the most polluted parts of the Yamuna. Delhi Pollution Control Committee data showed an increase in faecal contamination at three monitoring points in September compared with August.

Verma said 28 of Delhi’s 37 sewage treatment plants had been upgraded over the past 18 months. The government plans to add another 250 million gallons per day (MGD) of treatment capacity, with the minister expecting visible improvement in the river’s condition within about two-and-a-half years.

Earlier Plans for the River

Delhi has made previous attempts to revive the Yamuna’s banks. In 2019, the Delhi Development Authority prepared a plan to rejuvenate nearly 1,476 hectares of floodplains across 10 project areas.

Development remains subject to environmental restrictions. In September, the DDA told the National Green Tribunal that it had installed 277 boundary markers along the Wazirabad-Okhla stretch, with demarcation of the remaining areas planned for a later phase.

The proposed riverfront remains at the planning stage, with the Yamuna’s cleanup emerging as a key challenge. DeshGujarat