Vast Encroachment on Yamuna Floodplain: DDA Under High Court's Scrutiny

A Delhi Development Authority (DDA) survey reveals that two-thirds of the Yamuna floodplain has been encroached upon. The Delhi High Court has directed the DDA to utilize modern technology to ascertain land status, remove encroachments, and prevent future illegal constructions, while developing biodiversity parks and wetlands on the site.

A Delhi Development Authority (DDA) survey has uncovered that two-thirds of the Yamuna floodplain has been encroached upon in recent years, officials reported on Friday.

On March 27, the Delhi High Court directed the DDA to employ latest technologies like satellite imagery and drone photography to assess the current status of the land in Zone O.

In the survey, the DDA recorded that 7,362.56 hectares out of a total 9,700.00 hectares in Zone O, which includes the Yamuna floodplain, have been encroached upon, a senior official stated.

On July 8, the high court ordered the DDA vice-chairman to clear all encroachments and illegal constructions from the Yamuna riverbank, riverbed, and draining areas.

According to the court order, the DDA must coordinate with relevant agencies to remove encroachments from the floodplain, with the Delhi Police offering necessary support to maintain law and order during these anti-encroachment operations.

The court also instructed the DDA to fence the floodplain post-encroachment removal to prevent future illegal constructions.

On April 8, in a suo motu case addressing waterlogging during the monsoon, the high court ordered the removal of encroachments from the floodplain and directed the DDA to submit a report on the development of biodiversity parks and wetlands at the site.

(With inputs from agencies.)