Most DDA Yamuna floodplain parks submerged; recovery may take months

Officials said the damage will be clear once waters recede, but newly planted lawns, shrubs, saplings and grasses are feared lost.

Nearly all major riverfront and biodiversity projects developed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) along the Yamuna floodplains now lie under water, with the swollen river surging well above the danger mark for the past four days.

A view of the swollen Yamuna River near Mayur Vihar on Friday. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

Officials said the scale of destruction will only be known once the water recedes, but vast stretches of newly planted landscape – lawns, ornamental shrubs, saplings and riverine grasses – are feared lost. Walkways, sculptures, parking lots and cycle tracks are also submerged, reducing ambitious floodplain redevelopment projects to waterlogged wastelands.

Among the worst-hit is the Amrut Biodiversity Park, inaugurated in March this year across 90 hectares on the eastern bank near the Delhi–Meerut Expressway. Home to nearly 14,500 trees of diverse species, 18,000 shrubs and more than 321,000 grasses, the park was fully submerged by Wednesday evening. Only the canopies of the tallest trees were visible above the waterline. Designed with landscaped lawns, pathways and concretised parking zones, the park now resembles a swamp.

Another project, Vasudev Ghat near Kashmere Gate, which opened in March 2024, is also under water. Spread over 16 hectares, it was developed with more than 2,000 trees, lawns, flower beds, and pedestrian and cycling tracks. Sculptures, pavilions and baradaris are the only structures still visible; lawns and shrubs have disappeared below the floodwaters. Officials warned that thick silt deposits carried by the river will need to be removed before replantation and landscaping can begin.

The Kalindi Aviral project too has been impacted. Entry to Baansera, its 12-hectare bamboo-themed zone, was restricted as a precaution. Though its slightly elevated ground spared it from major damage, the adjoining 100 acres of low-lying areas are inundated. “We closed it for safety so no visitor was stranded as waters rose,” an official said.

Authorities confirmed that almost all of DDA’s floodplain parks – including Amrut, Vasudev, Asita and Kalindi Aviral – are inundated. Statues and other artworks will be inspected for cracks and erosion once the river withdraws. “The process is repetitive: assess structural harm, clear the silt, and start fresh plantations,” another DDA official said. “But until the soil is restored, the greenery cannot survive.”

The authority had carried out extensive replanting after last year’s floods, introducing thousands of saplings and grasses across floodplain parks. Those efforts, officials admitted, must now be repeated.

Environmental experts said the inundation highlights the ecological paradox of building ornamental parks in a natural floodplain.

“Floodplains exist to absorb excess water. Planting decorative species that cannot withstand submergence is counterproductive,” said activist Diwan Singh. “This should be treated as a lesson: rely on flood-resilient species like native riverine grasses that regenerate quickly. Otherwise, every flood will wipe out costly landscaping.”

He added that the Yamuna floodplain functions through cycles of submergence and renewal. “If designed sensitively, these parks can coexist with flooding. But lawns, fountains and ornamental beds will never survive.”

Another expert, Rajendra Ravi of the People’s Resource Centre, said what Delhi calls “floods” is often the river reclaiming lost ground.

“What we are seeing is not even really a flood. It is the river backflowing because its floodplains are encroached. The entire area from Shahdara towards Shastri Park, the floodplains are encroached. At Vasudev Ghat, instead of flowing south, the water turned north because the floodplain is concretised. When the channel is shallow and the banks hardened with steps and settlements, water inevitably spills over.”

A researcher involved in floodplain restoration projects explained that rivers are more than channels: they include riparian zones, active floodplains, old alluvium stretches, embankments and uplands. “Each zone has its own ecological role, and plantations must be planned accordingly. Treating all of it as ornamental landscape is a design flaw,” he said.

The Yamuna traverses 52km through Delhi, from Palla in the north to Jaitpur in the south. Along this stretch, DDA has taken up 11 restoration projects at various stages – from Asita East and West to Amrut, Kalindi Biodiversity Park, Kalindi Aviral, Yamuna Vanasthali, Hindon Sarovar, Vasudev Ghat, Mayur Nature Park, and riverfront promenades from Geeta Colony to the Yamuna Barrage.