Living under notice: Fear and uncertainty along the Yamuna in Delhi

Yamuna Bazar is home to around 310 families, nearly 1,100 people, spread across 32 ghats. For most residents, their livelihoods are inseparable from the river. Some work as priests conducting rituals, others sell flowers, while many earn a living by ferrying people in boats. Many say they have lived in Yamuna Bazar for generations, with both their homes and livelihoods rooted in the ghats.

The area falls within Delhi’s O-Zone – a list of ecologically fragile areas – since it is a flood-prone zone along the Yamuna where annual flooding poses a constant risk. Officials say the eviction is being carried out because repeated floods make it difficult for the government to relocate residents to safety every year. They also cite orders from the National Green Tribunal.

But for residents, the notice raises a more urgent question: where will they go?

Ganesh, who has lived here since childhood, says, “The government can do what it wants, but it must give us another place to live. Our livelihood depends on this river. We perform religious rituals and operate boats. This is not work we can do on the roadside.”

Rekha Chaturvedi, whose sons work as priests at the riverfront, says, “We were told to vacate within 15 days, but no one has told us where we are supposed to go.”

Watch.

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