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CWC told to file final report on Palla barrage proposal

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Jal Board has asked the Central Water Commission to submit its final report on the feasibility of constructing a barrage at Palla and has also forwarded the proposal to the Upper Yamuna River Board to seek approval of the member States for the project.

The decision to construct a barrage at Palla will be taken after the CWC, which had carried out a pre-feasibility study, gives its final report. The matter is also scheduled to come up for hearing at the next meeting of the UYRB which is likely to take place soon. According to sources, the consent of States like Haryana is also required for construction of the barrage that is expected to solve Delhi’s water woes to a great extent.

The Rs. 600 crore project will store water that otherwise gets wasted in the absence of any storage facility. The barrage will be constructed at Palla from where the Yamuna enters Delhi.

“The Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna recently had a meeting with Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz, where he explained the benefits of constructing a barrage. The barrage will serve as a storage facility for water that is otherwise wasted during the monsoon. And the proposal should not be opposed by any State as it is an exercise that saves water and does not eat into anyone’s share,” said a DJB official.

The Board has already submitted the proposal to the Central Water Commission for a barrage at Palla village 20 km upstream of the Wazirabad barrage and is now seeking the final response of the CWC.

“The barrage can act as a reservoir for Delhi. If it is allowed to come up at Palla within Delhi’s territory, it can be used to store water received during the monsoon, and used during the leaner months. The barrage will have a capacity to store water from 40 days to two months,” the official said.

As of now, water can only be stored at the Wazirabad barrage and then is lifted for the water treatment plant. The Wazirabad barrage’s capacity to store water is limited to two to three days.

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