Games Village on Yamuna to damage ecosystem

New Delhi, June 26 (UNI) The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) today joined hands with environmentalists to oppose the planned Games Village on the flood plain of River Yamuna saying it would damage the ecosystem and lower the water table along the river.

In a statement issued here, INTACH said the building of the Village complex, that will occupy 100 acres site on flood plain of Yamuna,''would be a violation of the High Court orders which had asked authorities to keep the area free of encroachments as otherwise the city will be exposed to floods''.

''The opinion among environmentalists and other NGO groups is that the proposed building would jeopardize the safety of millions and only help the building lobby. The project, at different stages, has been opposed by official agencies but the DDA has pushed through the same by browbeating the organisations opposed to the building of the Games Village,'' the statement said.

INTACH alleged that the construction would be detrimental to recharge of the ground water table which in turn will directly effect the water supply to the area.

''INTACH feels that as much as 25.5 million gallons of water per day can be stored in reservoirs built on the flood plain which can help in solving the water scarcity problem in Delhi,'' the statement added.

UNI