NEW DELHI: Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) might soon conduct tours of Delhi wetlands on Yamuna. The matter came up for discussion during a meet organised by an NGT-appointed committtee to showcase its newly launched website. The committee has been formed to check pollution levels in the river.
“Wetlands give you grasses, migratory birds, flora and fauna — they change the ecosystem. The society is willing to arrange tours for schoolchildren and birders in the existing wetlands,” Shailaja Chandra, member of the monitoring committee, said on Wednesday.
Neha Sinha of BNHS said nature trails connected to Yamuna can be held monthly with the purpose of sensitising people of Delhi towards biodiversity and richness of Yamuna.
“These walks will not only aim at viewing wildlife, but also creating aesthetic, environmental and educational values. The Delhi chapter of BNHS already organises such walks. The idea is to take people there and make them see the river in all its natural beauty,” Sinha told TOI.
The birdwatchers visit the river, especially near Wazirabad and Okhla. If restored, Yamuna has a great potential to rebound as a natural entity, which the people can enjoy, experts said. The proposed walks can be carried out once a month, year-round.
During the interaction, the committee informed that apart from the key NGT orders on Yamuna, list of stakeholders and agencies, report of expert committees, action plan to clean the river, and others — there is also a knowledge sharing platform on the website for institutions and individuals to give suggestions or location specific feedback.
The template of the platform allows for a fixed word limit and size of photographs. Where found suitable, some photographs would be displayed on the website subject to screening, she said. Acknowledgements would be sent where action has been initiated by the committee on suggestions given.
According to Chandra, if they receive a complaint about an overflowing drain, they will be in a position to identify the drainowning agency using the services of Geospatial Delhi Ltd (GSDL). They will then direct the agency concerned to take action, and within a fortnight, try to resolve the issue and reply to the complainant.
NGT chairperson AK Goel had in July last year formed the committee comprising retired expert member BS Sajwan and former Delhi chief secretary Shailaja Chandra directing them to the submit an action plan and detailed report on cleaning of the river.
The committee also informed that Delhi Jal Board has successfully diverted 114 million gallon per day sewage to treatment plants through pumping stations before being discharged into the three drains last year, thereby reducing the BOD load in Yamuna. “According to a CPCB report, it was found that the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) load on Yamuna declined by 56 tonnes per day in 2018 compared with 2017,” the committee member BS Sajwan said.
By Ritam Halder|TNN
