The initiative follows a series of visits and review meetings by Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who has directed the authorities to adopt a collaborative and science-based approach towards rejuvenating the river.
The first-of-its-kind multi-stakeholder consultation workshop was organised on Friday as part of the preparatory process for “Yamuna Dialogues”, an initiative aimed at creating a shared vision for the sustainable restoration, conservation and development of the Yamuna floodplains and ghats in Delhi.
According to the DDA, the initiative follows preliminary visits by the Lieutenant Governor to the Yamuna floodplains and subsequent review meetings with senior officials, during which he stressed the need to address pollution in the river through a multi-dimensional strategy involving government agencies, experts and citizens.
Emphasising public participation in the river's revival, the L-G said, "Residents of Delhi, along with experts and other stakeholders, must be actively made partners in the river's rejuvenation so that the restoration of the Yamuna, especially its floodplains, evolves into a shared civic mission rather than a government-led exercise alone."
He also observed that "the floodplains of the river were openly accessible to the people and their restoration and maintenance had to take into account the usage that they were being subjected to".
The L-G further underlined that "existing domestic and global best practices could serve as guiding benchmarks on the way forward".
The DDA said the “Yamuna Dialogues” have been conceived as a collaborative platform that will bring together national and international experts and institutions to exchange best practices in river restoration, discuss nature-based solutions for floodplain management, explore innovative financing mechanisms and align future interventions with climate resilience and urban sustainability goals.
The consultation focused on two major themes — Floodplain Responsive Planning and Ghat Development. Discussions centred on developing public infrastructure that complements the river's natural flood cycles while designing environmentally compatible ghats that integrate ecological, cultural, recreational and religious functions.
The stakeholder consultation marks the beginning of a wider participatory process that will eventually lead to the preparation of the Zero Draft of the Delhi Yamuna Compact. Two major dialogue sessions are proposed for September 2026 and January 2027, during which the Delhi Yamuna Compact, a comprehensive roadmap outlining priorities, implementation strategies and timelines for restoring the Yamuna corridor will be deliberated upon and finalised.
The DDA said two more stakeholder workshops on themes such as Nature-Based Solutions, Water Quality and Drainage, Financing Models and Governance will be organised in the coming weeks to further strengthen the consultation process.
The authority reiterated its commitment to restoring the Yamuna as a vibrant ecological corridor through environmentally sustainable and scientifically informed development under the guidance of the L-G.