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

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

Farewell to Saleem Samad: A life devoted to fearless journalism

By Nava Thakuria* Heartbreaking news arrived from Dhaka as the vibrant city lost one of its most active and committed citizens with the passing of journalist, author and progressive Bangladeshi national Saleem Samad. A gentleman who always had issues to discuss with anyone, anywhere and at any time, he passed away on 22 February 2026 while undergoing cancer treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74.

From ancient wisdom to modern nationhood: The Indian story

By Syed Osman Sher South of the Himalayas lies a triangular stretch of land, spreading about 2,000 miles in each direction—a world of rare magic. It has fired the imagination of wanderers, settlers, raiders, traders, conquerors, and colonizers. They entered this country bringing with them new ethnicities, cultures, customs, religions, and languages.

Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov, the artist who survived Stalin's cultural purges

By Harsh Thakor* Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov (September 14, 1885 – April 20, 1964) was a Soviet artist, professor, academician, and teacher. His work was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize, the highest artistic honour of the USSR. His paintings traced the development of socialist realism in the visual arts while retaining qualities drawn from impressionism. Gerasimov reconciled a lyrical approach to nature with the demands of Soviet socialist ideology.

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.

Public money, private profits: Crop insurance scheme as goldmine for corporates

By Vikas Meshram The farmer in India is not merely a food provider; he is the soul of the nation. For centuries, enduring natural calamities and bearing debt generation after generation while remaining loyal to the soil, this community now finds itself trapped in a different kind of crisis. In February 2016, the Modi government launched the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) with the stated objective of freeing farmers from the shackles of debt. It was an ambitious attempt to provide a strong safety net to cultivators repeatedly devastated by excessive rainfall, drought, and hailstorms.

Development at what cost? The budget's blind spot for the environment

By Raj Kumar Sinha* The historical ills in the relationship between capital and the environment have now manifested in areas commonly referred to as the "environmental crisis." This includes global warming, the destruction of the ozone layer, the devastation of tropical forests, mass mortality of fish, species extinction, loss of biodiversity, poison seeping into the atmosphere and food, desertification, shrinking water supplies, lack of clean water, and radioactive pollution.

Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative

By Rajiv Shah A recent book, " Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India ", authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes , seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians , which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure -- even force -- vulnerable sections into Christianity.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan* The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

Search This Blog