Piazza and park to shopping centre: Delhi to soon get its riverfront near Sarai Kale Khan

The project, part of Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) plans to redevelop the 22-km river stretch between Wazirabad barrage and the Okhla barrage, will come up on a 200-metre wide stretch.

Unlike the Sabarmati waterfront in Ahmedabad, it will not see any concrete or permanent construction.

“Any concrete that exists at the site or remnants of the bus depot are being cleared. Only ecologically suitable materials will be used. We have seen success with these materials in the other sections of the floodplain,” said a senior government official.

The restoration and rejuvenation plan is divided into 11 subsections. Of these, five have already been developed, including the Vasudev Ghat, which the Cabinet of the new BJP government in Delhi visited after taking oath in February. The others include parks in Asita East and West banks, Amrut Biodiversity Park behind the Commonwealth Games Village and the Yamuna Vatika near Rajghat.

“All these projects were undertaken by the DDA and in none of these was any concrete used. The Baansera park, for example, has a café made of light-weight steel frame, bamboo and glass,” the official said.

While the plan to build a riverfront at the Millennium Park Bus Depot has been under consideration for many years, sources said a detailed blueprint was shared with the Centre recently and work will begin soon.

The Yamuna and its floodplain are part of the O Zone, where any permanent construction and concretisation is not allowed as per court orders. Some major projects, however, such as the Commonwealth Games project as well as flyovers have come up in this area as exceptions.

“The project here will not use any glass either. The idea is to make it as eco-friendly as possible. This is an ongoing effort to help people of the city connect with the river, which has been forgotten. While several parks alongside the river have come up already, the idea is to make the riverfront project the centerpiece of the entire project,” said an official.

The entire rejuvenation project is spread over an area of 1,660 hectares. In each of the 11 projects, there will be provisions for unpaved walking and cycling tracks. The buffer of vegetation between the edge of the river and the bund alongside the redeveloped parts will be riverine grasses suited to the area. Depressions to store water will be made to store excess river water.

A former DDA official, who worked closely on the redevelopment projects in other sections of the floodplain, said the key is to remember that the Yamuna will flood every few years and to plan the projects accordingly.

“Each section that has been redeveloped has been a learning experience. Soon after the Asita East Park was opened to the public, we saw significant flooding in 2023. The area was under two metres of water. But we were very happy. This is why the floodplain exists and this is why no permanent structure should be built on it. After the water receded, most of the plants and grasses survived. We also learnt that the ones that did not survive were not suitable for the area,” the official said.

Talking about the difference in riverfront projects in other parts of the country and in Delhi, the official said, “We have to remember that Yamuna is an alluvial river, which deposits a lot of silt and floods on a regular basis. These characteristics have to be kept in mind while planning any activity on its banks.”

The Millennium Park Bus Depot, built to park up to 1,000 buses, came up during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, amid opposition from environmentalists. It was planned as a temporary accommodation for the duration of the Games; but was used to park buses till at least 2020. The possession of the land was finally handed over to the DDA in 2023.