by THO
Lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Tuesday inaugurated two rejuvenated and beautified stormwater channels in the Dwarka sub-city, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said in a statement.
The two channels had become open sewers and have been cleaned up, with green spaces and “riverfront facilities” such as a cycle track, nature trails, walkways, yoga pavilions, decks, and pergola bridges built along them, with further provision for an open-air food court, DDA added.
The two channels — one 5.2-km-long and the other 3.8-km-long — pass through Dwarka’s sectors 8, 9, 20, 23, 19, 24, 3, 13, 14, and 16, before merging with the Najafgarh drain which drains into the Yamuna.
“I compliment DDA for completing the work in a time-bound manner. The land has been allotted for a diplomatic enclave and state bhawans in Dwarka, which will bring national and international recognition to the sub-city,” said LG Saxena.
A DDA official associated with the project said the channels had become open sewers. “A lot of domestic wastewater was discharged into these channels over the past few years from adjoining neighbourhoods and other areas lacking sewerage facilities. The channels became open sewers and resulted in inhospitable situations in nearby areas,” said the official, adding that DDA intercepted and treated the waste being discharged into the channels.
The project has cost DDA ₹300 crore.
The DDA statement said that the channels will work as “greenways” connecting Metro stations to residential neighbourhoods and upcoming projects such as a golf course, the Bharat Vandana Park, and sports complexes.
“The channels will also incorporate a solar arcade consisting of 44 solar flowers with the capacity to generate 203KWp and 30 solar trees each with 1KWp capacity that will be used for lighting up the area,” the official said.
DDA has also installed street light poles and CCTV cameras along the cycle track and walkway. “There is also provision for daily necessities such as an open-air food court, open-air theatre, yoga pavilion, children’s park, and public toilets,” the official said.
LG Saxena also inaugurated four cascade-type horse fountains at the intersection of Dwarka’s sectors 1 and 7 and sectors 2 and 6. “The fountains are 12 feet high and have been built with redeveloped green areas and barrier-free ramps,” the DDA official said.
DDA has more developmental projects in Dwarka in the pipeline, including a 200-acre Bharat Vandana Park which will add to the green cover of the sub-city, and centres of excellence in wrestling, weight lifting, and boxing, along with a golf course. “All these projects will be completed this year. Work on the construction of the Urban Extension Road 2 is nearing completion given the rapid pace of execution, and the allocations for 2023-24 have been increased from ₹920 crore to ₹1,590 crore,” the official said.
