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Delhi Races to Demarcate Yamuna Floodplains, Curb Illegal Development
22 Aug
Summary
- Delhi government completes virtual demarcation of Yamuna floodplains
- Physical demarcation to begin on September 1, 2025
- Effort to prevent illegal developments in flood-prone areas
As of August 22, 2025, the Delhi government has completed a virtual demarcation of the Yamuna floodplains that have a 4% chance of flooding every year (one-in-25-year floodplains) and a 1% chance of flooding every year (one-in-100-year floodplains). The government will now begin physically demarcating this area from September 1, 2025, onwards.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has called for a tender to erect bollards and signages from September 1, which will help in identifying encroachments in the floodplains. This effort is in response to a 2024 order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which took suo motu cognizance of a media report and formed a joint committee to identify, demarcate and notify the Yamuna floodplains.
The irrigation and flood control (I&FC) department has paid ₹80 lakh for a "scientific assessment of impact on flood-prone area" in Delhi, referring to the record-breaking 2023 floods when the Yamuna touched a level of 208.66m. The Central Water and Power Research Station in Pune is expected to complete any remaining data gaps by August 31, 2025.
The government has directed that the outermost boundary of the floodplain map be considered as the one-in-100-year floodplain, and the demarcation be done accordingly. DDA has also informed the government that it has reclaimed 814 hectares of encroached land in the Yamuna's O-zone so far.
