The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has proposed setting up a 16-member committee for conservation, protection and restoration of the Yamuna floodplains in the national capital

The National Green Tribunal had last year directed the land-owning agency to constitute a special purpose vehicle for the rejuvenation of the Yamuna in Delhi, hoping that it could be a model for 351 polluted river stretches in the country. The River Yamuna Management Committee will be chaired by the lieutenant governor. The principal commissioner (Horticulture and Landscape), DDA, will be its member secretary.

Members will include the Delhi chief secretary, DDA vice-chairman, commissioners of Delhi Police and municipal corporations, Delhi Jal Board CEO and a senior official of the environment department. The committee will formulate policies, norms and guidelines to protect the floodplain ecosystem from the adverse impact of development, according to a draft submitted by the DDA to the National Green Tribunal-appointed Yamuna Monitoring Committee.

Its tasks will include protecting the floodplains from encroachments and illegal activities and oversee reclamation of land on the river floodplains. The committee will coordinate with DDA, Delhi Jal Board, municipal corporations, Delhi Police, Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department, NGOs, experts and other stakeholders to achieve its aims and objectives.

According to the draft, it will supervise the functioning of all departments which affect the river and its floodplains. The panel will also oversee setting up, upgradation and functioning of sewage treatment plants and effluent treatment plants to ensure that public places and drains are clean.

It can also co-opt experts in the fields of water management, solid waste management, environmental engineering, environmental impact assessment, ecology, botany, biodiversity, hydrology, landscape architecture or any other relevant field.