Desilting of 77 major drains underway: Report
The Delhi Government has strengthened weak embankments, started desilting 77 major drains and ordered fresh scientific studies of the Yamuna floodplain to prevent a repeat of the 2023 floods, according to a progress report filed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The report was submitted by the city’s Irrigation and Flood Control Department after the NGT took note of media reports questioning why the scale of the July 2023 floods could not be predicted in time. After the floods, a Joint Flood Management Committee (JFMC) was set up under the chairmanship of the Central Water Commission (CWC) to review flood management between Hathnikund and Okhla barrages.
According to the report, the committee studied rainfall, water discharge and flood patterns. It found that rainfall over five days in July 2023 was 23.8 per cent higher than in 1978. The committee also looked at how much water different stretches of the Yamuna can carry. It said the river’s capacity changes along its course and that better data is needed in some areas to improve flood prediction.
On embankments, the report said short-term safety steps have been taken in vulnerable areas such as Nili Chhatri. Retaining walls have been built in some places. A scientific study of the Yamuna and its floodplain is underway, and a final floodplain map with one-metre contour details is expected by August 2026.
The report said that if discharge at Delhi Railway Bridge reaches around 6,700 cumecs or more, water may overflow at certain points. In the case of a one-in-100-year flood, discharging about 8,701 cumecs, areas such as Metcalf House, Nili Chhatri, and Yamuna Bazar could be affected.
Desilting of 77 major drains is underway ahead of the monsoon, with more than 20 lakh metric tonnes of silt to be removed. An inter-departmental committee headed by the chief secretary has been formed to improve coordination among agencies handling drains and flood control, the report said.
The JFMC has recommended better coordination in operating barrages such as ITO, Wazirabad and Okhla during floods, along with proper maintenance of equipment to measure rainfall and river flow in real time. On encroachments along the Yamuna floodplain, agencies have been asked to follow court orders and keep the river zone free of unauthorised structures.
