A tale of two rivers: Only one happy ending (Times of India 08 July 2012)

NEW DELHI: Delhi and Singapore have very little in common geographically. The only thing linking the two was their dependence on rivers running through their midst. Yamuna turned into a sewage carrying channel and continues to be one. Singapore's river was probably in a worse state till the 1970s. And that is where the similarity ends.
In a period of 10 years and at a cost of about Singapore $300 million, the city managed to clean up the river completely and turn it into a matter of pride. The water is sparkling clean and devoid of any stench. Where no fish existed earlier, over 200 aquatic species have been documented now. It has become the heart of the city's recreational pursuits while the land along the river has been put to commercial and residential use.
The river had been at the heart of Singapore's trade and commerce, providing an important transportation channel to and from the city, since the city was founded in 1819. "The main sources of water pollution in the river were squatter colonies, backyard industries, street hawkers and vegetable wholesalers, and pig and duck farms...waste water was discharged directly into the river...By 1977, the water in the Singapore river was black, foul smelling and devoid of aquatic life. The river was dead," says a report by the Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED).
In 1977, prime minister Lee Kuan Yew had the environment ministry draw up an action plan. This included resettlement of more than 16,000 families living in squatter colonies in public housing estates and relocation of 2,800 polluting industries to industrial estates.
Till here, the story of the Yamuna and the Singapore river follow a similar trajectory. In the past decade or more, Delhi government has drawn up plan after plan to clean the Yamuna. In November 2000, the urban development ministry made a strong case for removal of slums from the river banks as they were a major cause of pollution. By 2004, thousands of families had been 'relocated' to remote corners. That, however, made little difference, and by 2006, the river was even more polluted.
While Singapore's resettlement plans included providing the relocated families with proper sewage networks, Delhi's slum-dwellers found themselves without even the most basic of facilities. "Some 610 pig farms and 500 duck farms were either phased out or relocated to other areas. Polluting industries and trades were also re-sited to other areas with proper pollution control facilities," says the APFED report.
Delhi, meanwhile, failed to take a comprehensive view of the problem. Singapore set itself a deadline of 10 years and met it; Delhi failed completely. "One agency or department should have been made responsible for overseeing the river cleaning work. In Delhi, there is Delhi Jal Board carrying out projects under the Yamuna Action Plan, DDA developing the city without any concern about water and sewage and the municipal corporation dealing with waste management. There is no co-ordination between the agencies. DJB has spent crores of rupees already and is now looking at the interceptor sewage system as a last resort. This too was to have been partially constructed by 2010 but will now not be ready before 2014," said Vinod Jain of NGO Tapas.
In Singapore, the project was launched under the environment ministry while a high-level working committee comprising various government ministries and statutory boards was set up to look into the implementation and monitoring of the various action programmes. The success of the project is also attributed to the involvement of grassroots and civic organizations, business community and NGOs.
Once the sources of pollution were eliminated, the government set down to develop the riverfront. The river was dredged, quay steps along the river waterfront repaired, the walkway along the river tiled and turfed and large-scale plantation carried out. To merge the riverfront with the cityscape, a 3-km stretch along the Kallang basin was given facilities like piers, shelters and benches.
The project to clean the river officially drew to a close in 1987. From then on, the government took up aggressive development of the riverside and conservation of the river. Before the start of the new decade, the riverside started getting dotted by what now defines Singapore's skyline. A central business district with modern skyscrapers, shopping centres, condominiums and hotels lined the waterway. The government also took up conservation of shophouses, buildings and bridges. In 2007, work on the Marina Barrage, a reservoir at the mouth of the river, drew to a close. Constructed at a cost of Singapore $226 million, Singapore's 15th barrage stores water for the city and acts as a flood control measure.
In April 2006, the Public Utilities Board launched the Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters programme. Under this, Singapore's massive network of drains, canals and reservoirs is being converted into clean waterscapes and being integrated with its parks and gardens to create new recreational spaces.