Sabarmati-style Yamuna riverfront ‘could worsen flood risks’ in Delhi, environmentalists and others warn

A riverfront development project is a planned transformation of land beside a river. It can include built structures, roads, public spaces and other infrastructure along the river’s edge. Such projects aim to organise and improve urban river corridors, but they can also affect floodplains and river flows.

Delhi has proposed a 52-km Yamuna riverfront project on the lines of Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati riverfront. The plan would be developed in two phases, from Palla to Wazirabad and then from Wazirabad to Kalindi Kunj. The Delhi government announced on October 21 that it was beginning the process of signing a memorandum of understanding with the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited.

The proposal matters because much of the planned development would relate to the Yamuna floodplain. Environmentalists, researchers, former officials and citizen groups say construction should not proceed without assessing its effects on flood absorption, flood-carrying capacity and the river’s ecological condition. They want public resources focused on restoration and pollution reduction.

The proposed Yamuna riverfront project would extend for 52 km through Delhi. Its size is significant because the plan concerns a long river corridor rather than a small, isolated site. Critics say the scale requires a careful assessment of cumulative effects on the river and its floodplain before construction begins.

The project is divided into two phases. The first would cover the stretch from Palla to Wazirabad. The second would cover the stretch from Wazirabad to Kalindi Kunj. Together, these phases would create the proposed 52-km riverfront development along the Yamuna in Delhi.

The Delhi government announced on October 21 that it was initiating the process of signing a memorandum of understanding with the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited. Opponents are seeking disclosure of the pre-feasibility report, detailed project report, cost estimates and environmental assessments before the plan advances.

The opposition includes environmentalists, former water ministry officials, researchers and citizen groups. Eighteen signatories sent a letter to Union ministers, Delhi’s lieutenant governor and the chief minister. The signatories include former water resources secretary Shashi Shekhar, scientist Ravi Chopra, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, SANDRP and New Delhi Nature Society.

They emphasise that the Sabarmati is a seasonal river in its Ahmedabad stretch. That urban stretch is sustained by regulated water from the Narmada canal system and impounded by the Vasna barrage. Most polluting drains have also been diverted away from the Sabarmati riverfront stretch.

The Yamuna, by contrast, is described as a glacier-fed Himalayan river carrying substantial silt and experiencing seasonal changes in flow. It also flows through several states downstream of Delhi, making the Sabarmati’s drainage arrangements difficult to reproduce. The coalition says these differences must shape any Yamuna plan.

The Sabarmati model cannot be transferred directly because the two rivers function differently. The signatories describe the Sabarmati as seasonal in Ahmedabad, while the Yamuna is a glacier-fed Himalayan river. The Yamuna carries substantial silt and experiences seasonal variations in flow, creating different pressures for riverfront planning.

The Ahmedabad riverfront’s urban stretch is sustained by regulated water from the Narmada canal system and held by the Vasna barrage. Most polluting drains have also been diverted away from that stretch. These arrangements help explain the conditions behind the Sabarmati model, but they do not represent the Yamuna’s situation in Delhi.

The signatories say the drainage solution cannot be replicated on the Yamuna because the river flows through several states downstream of Delhi. They also warn that construction on the Yamuna floodplain could reduce flood-carrying capacity. Their central demand is a full assessment of the Yamuna’s ecology, hydrology and cumulative flood impacts.

A floodplain helps a river spread, store and move excess water during high flows. Construction on it can occupy space that would otherwise absorb or convey floodwater. If the river’s available area becomes smaller, water may rise more quickly and reach nearby land or infrastructure.

The letter says accumulated silt, encroachments, bridges, roads and barrages have already reduced the Yamuna’s cross-sectional area. This means the river has less open space through which water can pass. The signatories also point to floods in 2023 and 2025, when large areas of DDA biodiversity parks on the floodplain were inundated.

They argue that another riverfront project could further compromise flood-carrying capacity without a cumulative-impact assessment. The concern is not only higher water levels, but potentially greater flood damage in Delhi. The coalition wants floodplain demarcation and flood-risk assessment before development proceeds.

A floodplain is the low-lying land beside a river that can receive water when the river rises. It acts as part of the river’s wider flood system. The river’s cross-sectional area is the space available across its channel and floodway for water to move. A larger, unobstructed area generally provides more room for flow and temporary storage.

The Yamuna’s available space has reportedly been reduced by accumulated silt, encroachments, bridges, roads and barrages. When these features narrow or obstruct the river corridor, the same volume of water has less room to pass. Water can therefore rise faster, spread into nearby areas or cause greater damage when flows increase.

The critics say floods in 2023 and 2025 already exposed the floodplain’s vulnerability, including inundation of DDA biodiversity parks. They oppose further construction without a comprehensive assessment of flood absorption and carrying capacity. They also seek scientific floodplain demarcation before development decisions are made.

The National Green Tribunal’s January 2015 Mailey Se Nirmal Yamuna judgment rejected an earlier Delhi Development Authority riverfront proposal. The concerns centred on the Yamuna’s flood-carrying capacity and the need to protect its floodplain. Critics now cite that judgment as an important warning against repeating large-scale development without understanding the river’s risks.

The current coalition says the Yamuna’s cross-sectional area has already been reduced by silt, encroachments, bridges, roads and barrages. It also points to flooding in 2023 and 2025, including inundation of DDA biodiversity parks. In this setting, further floodplain construction could reduce flood absorption and carrying capacity.

The signatories want the government to disclose the pre-feasibility report, detailed project report, cost estimates and environmental assessments. They also propose restoring environmental flows, reducing pollution and scientifically demarcating the floodplain. Their broader position is that public resources should address degradation and flood risks first.