SANDRP calls for review of DDA’s Yamuna floodplain projects after repeated flood damage

By A Representative

The well-known environmental advocacy group, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), has raised concerns over the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) ongoing projects on the Yamuna floodplain, urging a critical review in the wake of repeated flood damage. The group noted that both the July 2023 and September 2025 floods have inundated several sites developed under DDA’s beautification and riverfront initiatives, undermining years of work and raising questions about their feasibility and environmental impact.

SANDRP said the projects, initiated in 2015 under the banner of floodplain rejuvenation and later rebranded as riverfront development, now cover over 1,600 hectares and involve 11 sites with a reported initial cost of ₹800 crore. Despite years of investment, the group pointed out that the projects remain incomplete, face repeated delays, and lack transparency on costs, feasibility studies, environmental assessments, or public consultations.

According to the note, DDA’s decision-making process remains opaque, with little information available on its website and no detailed reports on project progress, damages, or financial losses. The group highlighted that permanent structures, soil dumping, and ornamental plantations have altered the floodplain’s natural ecology and reduced its flood absorption capacity, despite repeated findings by monitoring committees of violations of environmental norms.

SANDRP emphasized that the projects have been severely damaged in two consecutive flood spells despite being subjected only to moderate flood peaks, raising concerns about their vulnerability in the event of more intense floods. It added that the shift from restoration to a Sabarmati-style riverfront model with plans for commercial complexes, shopping spaces, and event venues poses further risks to the fragile ecosystem.

The group argued that the Yamuna floodplain is a vital natural resource that provides ecological services to the city, and that the DDA, as custodian, has a responsibility to protect it rather than commercialize it. It called for full disclosure of project details, financial data, and impact assessments, along with public participation in decision-making.

SANDRP concluded that genuine restoration of the Yamuna floodplain requires protecting the area from construction and minimizing human intervention, allowing natural processes and floods to rejuvenate it in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.

Comments

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

India’s green energy push faces talent crunch amidst record growth at 16% CAGR

By Jag Jivan* A new study by a top consulting firm has found that India’s cleantech sector is entering a decisive growth phase, with strong policy backing, record capacity additions and surging investor interest, but facing mounting pressure on talent supply and rising compensation costs .

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

Beyond sattvik: Purity, caste and the politics of the Indian kitchen

By Rajiv Shah A few week ago, I was forwarded an article that appeared in the British weekly The Economist . Titled “Caste and cuisine: From honeycomb curry to blood fry: India’s ‘untouchable’ cooking”, it took me back to what I had blogged about what was called a “ sattvik food festival”, an annual event organised by former Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad professor Anil Gupta.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

By A Representative A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

Search This Blog