Panel submits report to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on renting land for Yamuna water conservation project

NEW DELHI: The five-member committee set up by the Delhi government on the Yamuna floodplains water conservation plan has submitted a report to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding renting farmland on the floodplains during the monsoon season.

The committee members are scheduled to have a meeting with the chief minister on Wednesday to discuss the details, said an official who is a member of the committee. 

As reported by this newspaper earlier, the committee has recommended offering approximately Rs 50,000 per acre to farmers for renting land on the Yamuna floodplains for the water harvesting project. 

The Delhi government plans to start a pilot project on 1,000 acres of floodplains during the current monsoon season. 

One of the topics that will be discussed with the chief minister will be the ownership of the land.

According to officials, before giving farmers the compensation, the rightful owners will have to be identified, for which records from the revenue department will have to be examined, which could delay the process of renting the land.

The government plans to start the pilot project before the monsoon hits the floodplains.

According to the government, water will be conserved in stretches from Palla in north-west Delhi to Wazirabad in north Delhi.

As per the plan, when the Yamuna overflows during the monsoon, its water will fill small ponds that will be constructed nearby using environment-friendly materials.

This water will percolate down and raise the groundwater table. The government estimates that in one monsoon season, an estimated 2,500 million cubic metres of water will be collected.