NEW DELHI: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to take immediate action on the debris collected below the Nizamuddin bridge and Yamuna floodplains on Monday.
A network of environmentalists, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) had tweeted pictures of piles of garbage underneath the bridge and claimed that the mounds of trash are about four feet tall on the five-acre floodplain.
The DDA responded by saying that the issue has been “duly noted” and it will keep the group updated about the issue.
“There is construction waste dumped in large amounts below the Nizamuddin bridge. In last 10 years, five bridges have been build in this area as a result of which the debris which has been dumped has changed river flow and its flooding nature,” said Bhim Singh Rawat, project associate for SANDRP.
“Last year, when the Signature Bridge was built, the construction waste including garbage was dumped there. The floodplain is just five acres… On August 19 last year, the flood in Delhi covered on entire side of Yamuna while the water did not spread evenly to the other parts due to this debris,” Singh added.
Singh said that according to the 2015 judgment of the National Green Tribunal, the body had put forth clear guidelines against the abuse of the river’s floodplain but unfortunately nothing has happened to date.