Indian Navy boat to sound out Yamuna's depths for commercial waterway potential

A boat belonging to the Indian Navy will be used to assess the Yamuna river's potential as a waterway channel, according to a statement issued by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor's office.

Navy boat "Barahsingha" has been berthed at a jetty near the Signature bridge, the L-G's office said on Wednesday.

"The boat has been brought to ascertain the navigability of the river and explore the possibility of utilising the clean channel as an inland waterway for transport, recreation and tourism," the statement said.

The 11-metre-long work boat of the Navy was moored near the Signature bridge because the trailer that brought it from Kochi in Kerala could not access any other suitable location in the river, it said.

The L-G's office refuted reports that the boat was "stuck" in mud or that it was meant for dredging.

The boat has been requisitioned from the Navy at L-G V K Saxena's initiative, the statement said. Saxena's request for the boat was routed through the irrigation and flood control and tourism departments of the Delhi government.

"The boat, an 11-metre work boat of the Indian Navy, was brought from Kochi on a trailer. It was transported from Kochi on May 25 and reached Delhi on June 3. The draft of the boat is 1.7 metres (minimum depth required)," the statement said.

A hydrographic survey of the Yamuna was carried out by the Navy through its teams from Dehradun and Karwar.

The survey that was concluded on June 8 revealed depths ranging from 0.9 metre to more than 4 metres in the river. Stretches with 1.7 metres depth or less have been physically marked in the river, the statement said.

Authorities have deployed dredging equipment in the Yamuna to create a suitable channel of ideal depth for the boat to navigate.

The dredging exercise is likely to be completed by June 20, the statement said.