DDA flouts NGT’s guidelines, continues construction on crowded Yamuna floodplain in Delhi

The Hindu reports on Delhi Development Authority's controversial construction plans on Yamuna river's floodplain, violating NGT guidelines.

Despite last year marking the worst floods in Delhi’s history, The Hindu has found that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is persisting with its plans of constructing permanent structures on the banks of the Yamuna. The project, dubbed as “restoration” of the river’s floodplain, violates the guidelines issuedby a committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which the States were ordered to “strictly” follow.

Last year, experts had deduced that one of the causes that aggravated the floods, besides the heavy rainfall upstream of Delhi, was the permanent constructions encroaching on the river’s floodplain. The constructions not only reduce the floodplain’s water holding capacity, but also constrict the flow of the river, experts had said in the aftermath of the flood, which saw the Yamuna rise to unprecedented levels.  

However, under the DDA’s ‘Restoration and Rejuvenation of River Yamuna Floodplains Project’, several permanent structures, including concrete ghats, large sitting areas made of concrete and sandstone, and a concrete cafe, have been built. An approximately 40-metre-long pool and several concrete offices have also been constructed, while a convention centre, tent city, and more ghats are among the other buildings that the DDA is planning to construct on the floodplain.

The Principal Committee, formed by the NGT in 2015 after a landmark judgment with the specific purpose of monitoring activity on the Yamuna’s floodplain, outlines strict norms governing construction in the area. However, sources told The Hindu that the committee has not met in over 21 months.

The NGT has prohibited any construction on the river’s floodplain, except in exceptional cases, for which plans are to be approved by the Principal Committee in advance. The committee, comprising several independent experts, has in the past been critical of constructions on the floodplain and turned down several proposals like ghats, roads, and other buildings. It has carried out inspections of the area and pulled up the concerned government departments for flouting norms.

An internal communication accessed by The Hindu showed that months before the July 2023 floods, the DDA went ahead with building permanent constructions on at least one site on the floodplain despite being turned down by the committee.