Yet another plan to infuse life into the Yamuna

The Delhi Jal Board also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Science Centre at Pragati Maidan for the development of a water and wastewater museum on the Centre’s promise to sensitise visitors on the need for water conservation.

Spread over an area of 200 sq mtr,the museum will be set up on the premises of the NSC which attracts 4,50,000 visitors annually.

Delhi Jal Board CEO Ramesh Negi said that highlighting the initiatives of the DJB under the Yamuna Action Plan,YAP- I and YAP-II,the museum will serve as a knowledge centre for education,awareness and entertainment of citizens. Dikshit called upon the people of Delhi to feel responsible for cleaning the river and support government initiatives in doing the same.

While referring to the several steps and the crores of rupees spent by the government to clean the river in the past,Negi said: “Unless people change their habits,all efforts will remain futile.” He stressed while it was the responsibility of the government to provide technical assistance and infrastructure,it was important for the people to contribute towards saving the river from disappearing.

“People must stop throwing waste and prayer items in the river,” Negi said.

As part of its outreach programme,the DJB has partnered with six NGOs from the six identified zones of Delhi. The recently-concluded survey by NGOs indicates the prevalence of a “not my problem” attitude in a substantial percentage of target groups across all categories.

Dwelling upon the findings of the survey,DJB spokesperson Sanjam Chima said: “More than 78 per cent of people living in unauthorised colonies and JJ clusters dump solid waste in the open. In 97 per cent of the cases,sewers or drains are blocked with garbage or plastic.”

According to the survey,in Najafgarh alone,the availability of water through the pipelines is almost 100 per cent,whereas over 90 per cent of the population does not avail the sewerage connections. In the trans-Yamuna area,the figure stands at 52 per cent.