Jal Board to begin dredging, desilting in Yamuna riverbed

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) will soon start dredging and desilting on the Yamuna riverbed and the Wazirabad pondage area to increase the water holding capacity of the adjacent barrage and improve the quality of water in the river channel, according to officials aware of the matter

- 

The exercise will entail the removal of around 387,000 cubic metres of silt over a period of about eight months, a senior DJB official said on Wednesday.

The work is expected to start only after mid-September, once the monsoon ends, and bids have been invited. The modalities are likely to be finalised on August 16, the official said.

Dredging involves the removal of sediments and debris from the bottom of rivers and other water bodies, typically to deepen the water. Desilting refers to the removal of silt or fine particles from a waterbody to improve water flow and prevent flooding.

DBJ last initiated dredging in 2013, but the activity was stayed at the time by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) citing environmental concerns. The stay was later vacated in 2015.