Dear President of India,

This is to bring to your notice that, there is a mega project going on to have embankment on the river. We as part of conscious citizens believe that the step initiated is not justified, as per a study done, the facts reveal as follows:

Construction of an embankment along the 10-km stretch of the Sabarmati has begun in Ahmedabad despite warnings that it may hamper

natural drainage in the city and that its design is inherently flawed.

The 8.5-m-high embankment is part of the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project, the first in India where the river will be squeezed to yield

land for commercial, residential and open spaces. Project planners expect to recover the cost by selling this real estate.

The project%u2019s Environment Impact Assessment (eia) report, however, said that embanking the Sabarmati would not

just prevent drainage and %u201Ccordon the river away from the people%u201D. It would also increase its speed, thereby increasing erosion that would affect

the stability of the retaining walls and bridges. The report was prepared by the Ahmedabad-based Centre for Environmental Planning and

Technology and the Gujarat Ecology Commission in Vadodara. Project designer hcp Design and Project

Management Pvt Ltd, formerly called Environmental Planning Collaborative, said drains from low-lying areas would be directed to the river

through underground channels. The riverfront project was proposed in 1997 to develop the banks into recreational zones.

Source: http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/node/267138

Thus, we request you to take necessary action to prevent this hazardous project, for it is not only hampering the environemnt but also challanging the heritage of river Sabarmati with which Father of Nation-Mahatma Gandhi is associated.