Work to start soon on largest Yamuna park. Here are the details

Pollution in the Yamuna was among the top electoral issues in the recently concluded Assembly elections in the city.

“The project has been approved by the Screening Committee. Work on it will be started soon,” said the official, adding that the estimated cost of the project is Rs 136 crore.

Located on the eastern bank of the river, the park will come up between Nizamuddin Bridge (NH-24) and the DND Flyway. The under-construction Barapullah Phase 3 flyover and Delhi Metro’s Pink Line will cut right across the park.

Along the river bank, it spans 3.81 km at its longest point and 2.18 km wide at its widest point. It is bound by the Noida Link Road on the Eastern side and on the Western side, faces Baansera and Kalindi Aviral projects.

The second largest park along the river is Asita East, which covers an area of 197 hectares, according to the DDA website.

The DDA has been acting on directions of the National Green Tribunal, which, in its landmark 2015 judgment Maili se Nirmal Yamuna, directed the Yamuna floodplains to be restored, preserved and beautified.

The Delhi Lieutenant Governor, on March 8, inaugurated the Amrut Biodiversity Park, which itself spans around 115 hectares and is located just beside the planned Mayur Nature Park. Just a week ago, on March 12, DDA and other Delhi government departments also signed an agreement with Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) for the operation of a ferry on Yamuna.

Proposed features

– Entry zones planned to be located at the corner.

– Greenway zones with children’s play area, multipurpose spaces, restored depressions as well as depression basins/wetlands will line edges of the park. The greenway is planned as a strip along the roads and will be used for river-people connection.

– A floodplain forest with prominent tree plantations and nature trails, and a floodplain grassland with riverine grasses are planned. These projects are designed to ensure interaction between the river and people, ecosystem restoration and minimising the adverse impacts of anthropogenic activities, according to the official.

– Parking spaces are planned to be covered by solar panels, according to the official.

A part of the park area is also denotified (owned by private parties) and is, thus, not being developed by the DDA.