Yamuna back to reclaim its floodplain in Delhi
Experts say that even temporary construction on the floodplain can destroy the local ecology and restrict the natural flow of water
For a large majority of Delhi residents who have in their living memory seen the Yamuna as nothing but an oversized toxic sewer, the spectacle of the submerged Kashmere Gate-ISBT stretch and waters swirling through the streets of tony Civil Lines is perhaps a sight of a lifetime, a glimpse of a mighty river that once was.
This majority could be forgiven for thinking the Yamuna is acting up, because it is not common knowledge that much of what is submerged today is essentially built on what was meant to be the river’s breathing space. Called a floodplain, this space is meant to function as the national capital’s personal water recharge kit, collecting surplus water to replenish the city’s aquifers.
“At least 1 km on each side [of the river] should be maintained as floodplain because its aquifers are perhaps best water sources we have left… that is why it is called the Blue Gold,” said Vikram Soni, emeritus professor, Jamia Millia Islamia, who has authored multiple articles on the health of rivers in India.
Experts say that even temporary construction on the floodplain can destroy the local ecology and restrict the natural flow of water -- and in Delhi, the floodplain has come under relentless onslaught.
To be sure, this is not unique to Delhi; last year’s floods in Bengaluru and the century’s worst floods in Chennai were caused by similar factors.
“Before embankments, the space for the river was wide in scope. The river reached the walls of the Red Fort; it used to flow where we have the Ring Road today. But in the 20th century, the river got jacketed by embankments,” said Manu Bhatnagar, an environmental planner who heads the Natural Heritage Division of Intach.
“East Delhi, for instance, was Jamuna paar, a doab region between the Hindon and the Yamuna. But with the left and the right main embankments, the river was jacketed, confining it to a limited space where high discharge does not dissipate horizontally but rises vertically, preventing urban stormwater from emptying into the river. If you go against the topography, this (flooding) is bound to happen,” he added.
Fear of flooding was one of the reasons why the British, even after laying the foundation stone of their new imperial capital at Coronation Park near Burari in north Delhi in 1911, gave up on the idea. “It was found to be flood-prone and malaria-infested. Edwin Lutyens (the architect of New Delhi) felt that the spot didn’t match up to the glory of the British Empire and looked at the elevated Raisina Hill zone instead,” said AK Jain, former planning commissioner of Delhi Development Authority.
While the ghats, the temples and areas such as Civil Lines existed much before, the post-Independence rush to urbanise the national capital saw the first set of power plants and the Ring Road (built in the mid-1950s) and Rajghat Samadhi , all coming on the floodplain.
In the master planning that began in 1962, the floodplain was designated a protected area free of construction. However, in the years that followed, enforcement was lax, and awareness levels, low. Government projects such as the various Samadhi (memorials), the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium and the Players Building (built for the 1982 Asian Games) were constructed on it nevertheless, said Jain.
The moat around Red Fort, which acted as a water channel, was filled up for the construction of Ring Road. Now only 15 feet of the 30 feet high walls are visible. Roads built on the floodplain are designed to handle 50-year floods. Ring Road was designed accordingly, said Jain.
The high flood level for the road is decided based on the maximum floodwater level recorded during the last 50 years.
The Akshardham temple was built in the early 2000s; the Supreme Court in 2005 ruled it was not on the floodplain. As the Commonwealth Games village came up in proximity to the temple, it was given clearance. Now it is flanked by Metro train stations, and more bridges .
The lack of affordable housing and lax regulations lined much of the Yamuna floodplain with unauthorised colonies. Located in seismic zone IV, they are one of the most significant structural hazards in the city. Very few structures have been removed from the floodplain. These include the shanties of the Yamuna Pushta and the Millennium bus depot built to park the low-floor public buses purchased in 2010 .
Experts said structures, once built, can’t be demolished. “One has to learn to live with this reality… try out measures such as removing concrete, making surfaces more permeable and spongy so excess water can get absorbed,” said Bhatnagar.