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River Yamuna contributes significantly towards the lives of the people by providing them various goods and services. However, due to increased pollution levels in the river the water quality status has degraded extensively. Even after various government initiatives to clean the river the situation remains the same. One of the reasons behind such failures is lack of community participation.
In reference to the above background, this study tries to estimate the local’s willingness to contribute towards the improved water quality of River Yamuna in Delhi using the contingent valuation method, where the contribution can be made either in the form of money, time or both. The study also identifies the factors that will motivate the people’s willingness to contribute towards the clean-up program.
A sample of 158 households was collected using the online mode for the study. The results show that the mean willingness to pay for a household comes out to be Rs.58.10 per month, to improve the water quality status towards the moderate scenario (Scenario B) and Rs.97.37 for the best scenario (Scenario C). Whereas the mean willingness to pay in terms of time for a household comes out to be approximately 1 hour for both the scenarios. A multinomial logit regression model was used to identify the factors that have a significant impact on the respondent’s willingness to contribute. The factors such as age, gender, marital status, perception scores, and score for future benefits came out to be significant for time, and factors such as perception scores and scores for future benefits came to be significant for money. Based on the results it can be concluded that the local residents attach considerable economic value to the river and are willing to participate in such programs. It is recommended that the decisionmakers should carry out educational campaigns to raise more awareness on the issue and involve local residents while implementing the clean-up programs.
Keywords: River Yamuna, Delhi, Community Participation, Willingness to Contribute, Water Quality Improvement.
