Delhi: Jute carpeting work begins on pathways at Yamuna floodplains

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA), on the instructions issued by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, has begun using jute carpeting on pathways and walking/cycling tracks in its parks, especially in those located on the Yamuna floodplains.

According to officials, Saxena had personally led the creation of several public green spaces along the Yamuna, based on his experience with jute as the KVIC chairperson, and subsequently asked the DDA to use jute carpeting on the walking/cycling and driving tracks at Asita Park, across the Yamuna opposite ITO.

The L-G had forbidden concretisation in parks on the Yamuna floodplains, but this had in turn led to the tracks inside the parks generating a lot of dust whenever walkers or cyclists would use them. Apart from causing inconvenience to users, this was adding to the environmental dust.

To overcome the same, Saxena asked the DDA to use loosely knitted jute carpeting on these tracks.

“Their use at Asita has led to desired result of dust mitigation and more. It came to be observed that this extremely cheap and cost-effective measure also resulted in grass growing on the earth beneath the carpeting and sprouting through the gaps. This is turn ensured that the carpeting got strongly fixed to the ground,” the official said.

Encouraged by the success of this exercise, the L-G has directed that the same be replicated on the tracks inside the northern ridge as well, restoration of which was recently undertaken by the DDA after Saxena visited the location earlier this month and found the situation there deplorable.

This initiative, apart from mitigating dust and preserving soil erosion from the floodplains, also ensures that the jute farmers and industry get much-needed fillip.

Delhi