Yamuna is choking in Delhi. Is floodplain encroachment to blame?

A thick layer of white foam has taken over the Yamuna river in Delhi yet again. The toxic foam, a result of untreated sewage waste, has raised concerns months after a report pointed to increasing encroachment and concretisation on the floodplains of the river.  

A status report by the Central Pollution Control Board to the National Green Tribunal in August stated that concretisation by the Delhi Development Authority has happened in six areas on the Yamuna floodplains – Surghat, Vasudev Ghat, Bansera Park, the PWD casting yard near Sarai Kale Khan, the Delhi Metro casting yard near Signature Bridge, and Asita East. This despite the NGT guidelines that prohibit such construction.

Floodplains act like the lungs of the river – controlling floods, recharging groundwater, and maintaining the river ecosystem. But have the Delhi authorities damaged it beyond repair in the name of development and beautification?

Watch.

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