JOIN USA rejuvenation plan to transform the city
A clean and sustainable Delhi has been at the top of the Government and citizens’ list for quite some time now. Yamuna is the first word that comes to mind when one thinks of drastic and permanent change.
In 2012, the National Green Tribunal dealt initially with prevention of dumping of debris in the river Yamuna floodplains. But in 2013 the proposition shifted to prevention of concretisation and covering of storm water drains in the city which at one time were the tributaries of river Yamuna, but now carrying all the city's waste water.
Manit Rastogi of Morphogenesis, was planning for the past seven years on how he could help the government to have steadfast plan of rejuvenating the nallahs of Delhi. “Morphogenesis is an architectural practice and advocates for sustainability in India. Our concept will not only restore the nallah but will also help in reusing the water and make the nearby area a livable place,” says Rastogi.
A Graduate from the School of Planning and Architecture and the Architectural Association (London) with Distinction in Energy and Environmental Studies, Rastogi is the founder partner of Morphogenesis along with Sonali Rastogi. He is also a Fellow of the IIA (Indian Institute of Architects) and the RSA (Royal Society of Arts, UK).
“The proposal was stuck for seven years. Since NGT has approved the restoration of nallahs, my concept may be adopted. The plan will take five to six months to come into practice as there are many government and private agencies involved,” adds Rastogi.
In the next few months, Delhi will hopefully see the 350 km long nallah network criss-crossing across the capital, and the space alongside the nallahs will be utilised to construct walking/cycling paths and provide commuters last mile connectivity to public transport (buses and Metro). This will significantly improve the effectiveness of the existing public transport, informs Rastogi.
“From our research we found that all the nallahs in Delhi are interconnected and fall into the Yamuna. Currently, the nallahs are just unhygienic drains that are seen as a problem by the citizens of Delhi - they smell, breed mosquitoes, pollute the Yamuna and so on. However, a relatively small investment can turn the nallahs into a valuable asset for the common citizen,” says Rastogi.
If the sewage is treated before it enters the nallah, the nallah will not accumulate the sewage. What is happening now is the water from the nallah is being treated, but that does not solve the purpose,” explains Rastogi.
He says one does not always require heavy sewage treatment plants that are uneconomic at times, there are also certain anaerobic plants that are used for cleansing water and their results can be seen within 24 hours.
According to Rastogi the nallah rejuvenation plan is being considered. “If the plan gets implemented in time, one will see a new Delhi in the next three years,” he says.