Delhi master plan: City plan integrates lessons from Covid pandemic, 2023 floods

The Master Plan for Delhi-2047 has laid down a set of measures to strengthen the Capital’s preparedness for fires, urban flooding, and pandemics

The Master Plan for Delhi-2047 has laid down a set of measures to strengthen the Capital’s preparedness for fires, urban flooding, and pandemics. The plan proposes specific interventions for densely populated areas, vulnerable buildings and infrastructure, while also seeking to integrate lessons from recent disasters such as the

Delhi master plan: City plan integrates lessons from Covid pandemic, 2023 floods

The draft Master Plan was initially prepared for the plan period up to 2041 and was made public for comments in 2020. However, officials said that, since the notification was delayed, additional lessons from the flood in 2023 floods, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the series of deadly fires.

In July 2023, the city saw unprecedented flooding during monsoon rains with the Yamuna river reaching an all-time high of 208.66 metres. MPD-2047, seen by HT, notes that “the frequency and intensity of urban flooding and water logging has been rising in Delhi”. It proposes keeping all natural and engineered drains free from obstructions and encroachments, along with regular desilting and disposal of silt.

It recommends that local bodies also earmark parks and gardens in flood-prone areas as “flood sinks” — which means an area where excess flood water can be diverted so that it can collected and eventually drain as ground water. It further proposes large-scale stormwater capture projects in the Yamuna floodplain, though these are subject to strict environmental compliance.

“Mixing of such uses with residential or public service functions shall not be permitted,” the plan states.

For densely populated areas and urban villages that are beyond the reach of regular fire tenders, the plan proposes exploring alternatives including hydrant networks, mobile fire hydrants, and other fire-fighting equipment.

Buildings identified as vulnerable to fire will have to be retrofitted with fire-prevention and mitigation measures, with fire-safety norms proposed across all categories of buildings. The plan also flags electric vehicle batteries as a fire risk.

“EV batteries are potential fire hazards, hence their storage, charging and disposal shall be managed as per specific guidelines laid out by the Government,” it states.

The plan also proposes joint action by the department of power, local bodies and other agencies to improve electrical safety in vulnerable areas, particularly in the Walled City, urban villages and other dense localities.

For pandemic preparedness, the plan proposes planned and vertical mixing of compatible use buildings to keep homes, workplaces, and services closer to each other. It also calls for decentralised workspaces, including co-working spaces, shared workspaces in slum rehabilitation projects. and support for home-based work.

Large green areas, open spaces, public spaces and plazas are proposed to support social distancing during pandemics. The plan further links pandemic resilience with housing availability, proposing affordable rental and ownership housing options, worker housing, hostels for women and men, and dormitories to increase housing options for migrants.