Swollen Yamuna inundates illegal farmhouses on floodplains

The authority has multiple times issued notices to these farmhouses, warning them to demolish these concrete structures on their own or face demolition

A swollen Yamuna on Thursday inundated the illegally built farmhouses on the floodplains of the river in Noida, forcing owners of these designer farmhouses to flee their properties and take shelter in nearby places. According to the Noida authority, there are at least 2,000 farmhouses built without any approval in sectors 128, 129, 130, 131, 135, 151 and 152, among other areas.

As the water level increased in Yamuna the illegally built farmhouses in flood plain area are submerged into water with occupants leaving their properties and taking shelter into nearby places. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The authority has multiple times issued notices to these farmhouses, warning them to demolish these concrete structures on their own or face demolition.

Despite repeated complaints by environmental activists and demolition notices being served, the owners of these farmhouses have not removed the illegal structures. But as the Yamuna waters reached danger levels on Thursday morning, owners started leaving their farmhouses for safe houses.

By 6am Thursday, most of them started putting their valuables in vehicles and moving away from the Yamuna floodplains as the water level kept rising throughout the day.

“There was at least 4 feet of water in our farmhouse by early morning and our caretaker told us in the evening that it has risen further and he cannot stay in the farmhouse. We arranged four cars and a truck to shift our valuables and cattle. We have put the cattle and labourers in Nagli Wazidpur area till the Yamuna waters recede in a few days,” said S Kumar, a businessman, who owns a 2,000 yard farmhouse on the floodplains.

Cafes, restaurants, banquet halls and other commercial properties built on the floodplains were all submerged on Thursday. “Our furniture, beds and clothes, among other materials, have been damaged in the flood because we could not move these items away on time. We thought that the water level will not rise beyond the danger mark --it had not breached the danger mark even in 2014, when the flow had increased in the Yamuna after water was released from Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana. In fact, we have never seen such a flood in our lifetime. We were mistake wrong to spend so much money to develop this property on 3,000 yards,” said a banquet hall owner, who asked not be named, as it will invite trouble as the facility was illegal.

There are at least 400 families who permanently live in these farmhouses as they enjoy being amid the lush green surroundings. The remaining 1,600 odd families visit their properties mostly over weekends or to organise parties.

Many have arranged temporary accommodation for their helps in Nagli Wazidpur, Nagli Nagla, Mangroli, Gulawali and Chaproli, among other villages. The homeless have put up tents on the Yamuna embankment road. Those living in tents said no provision had been made by the Noida authority to provide them drinking water.

“We have not got drinking water despite repeated complaints,” said Suresh Kumar, a labourer.

The Noida authority deputy general manager RP Singh said, “We are arranging water tankers to meet the drinking water needs of the homeless.”