{"id":3447,"date":"2026-04-15T21:50:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/the-great-wall-of-delhi-rekha-gupta-govt-plans-5km-yamuna-barrier-as-permanent-flood-fix-delhi-news\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T21:50:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:20:32","slug":"the-great-wall-of-delhi-rekha-gupta-govt-plans-5km-yamuna-barrier-as-permanent-flood-fix-delhi-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/the-great-wall-of-delhi-rekha-gupta-govt-plans-5km-yamuna-barrier-as-permanent-flood-fix-delhi-news\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Wall of Delhi? Rekha Gupta govt plans 5km Yamuna barrier as \u2018permanent flood fix\u2019 | Delhi News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130271263,imgsize-72580,width-400,height-225,resizemode-72\/delhi-government-has-greenlit-a-47-km-flood-wall-along-the-yamuna39s-western-ban.jpg\" alt=\"The Great Wall of Delhi? Rekha Gupta govt plans 5km Yamuna barrier as \u2018permanent flood fix\u2019\" title=\"Delhi government has greenlit a 4.7-km flood wall along the Yamuna's western ban\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Delhi government has greenlit a 4.7-km flood wall along the Yamuna's western ban\">Delhi government has greenlit a 4.7-km flood wall along the Yamuna&#8217;s western ban<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>NEW DELHI: Delhi govt on Tuesday approved the construction of a 4.7-km-long flood protection wall along <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/yamuna-river\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">Yamuna river<\/a>, which would act as a shield against flood waters entering the Ring Road and adjoining localities such as Civil Lines, Kashmere Gate and Yamuna Bazaar.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>CM Rekha Gupta announced that the barrier will be built along the river&#8217;s western bank between Majnu Ka Tila and the Old Railway Bridge, with the project slated for completion before the next monsoon season.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/> <\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"This project, expected before the next monsoon, is touted as a permanent fix for recurring floods.\" msid=\"130271265\" width=\"\" title=\" This project, expected before the next monsoon, is touted as a permanent fix for recurring floods. \" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-130271265\/this-project-expected-before-the-next-monsoon-is-touted-as-a-permanent-fix-for-recurring-floods.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p> This project, expected before the next monsoon, is touted as a permanent fix for recurring floods. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/>The initiative is being positioned by the govt as a &#8220;permanent solution&#8221; to the city&#8217;s persistent flooding woes. Experts, however, cautioned that preventing water from reaching floodplains can impact groundwater recharge and harm the ecology.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"13\"\/>The CMO said the wall will act as a safeguard against rising river levels and prevent water from entering low-lying areas. Areas such as Civil Lines, Kashmere Gate and Yamuna Bazaar have historically borne the brunt of floods, including major events in 1978 and more recently in 2023 and 2025, when water levels crossed danger marks and disrupted normal life.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"15\"\/>The govt has cited expert recommendations, including those from the Joint Flood Committee based on studies by the Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune, to justify the project. According to govt, the structure will not only control flooding but also reduce riverbank erosion and curb dumping along the floodplain. However, environmental experts have raised concerns about the potential ecological consequences of such an intervention.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/>Bhim Singh Rawat, associate coordinator at South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), said the Yamuna floodplains in Delhi are already heavily encroached and built upon, with areas such as Majnu ka Tila and the Tibetan colony located within the active floodplain. <span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>He said govt should ideally plan the removal of permanent encroachments in a phase-wise manner. \u201cCreation of a concrete wall will further cut off a piece of floodplain from the river and has potential to aggravate flood threat and damages especially in downstream and eastern Delhi areas acrossthe river,\u201d Rawat said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>He added that the core problem was the non-transparent and unscientific operation of existing barrages. <!-- -->\u201cThe construction of barrages and bridges has already altered the natural flooding and meandering pattern of the Yamuna. Further disconnecting the river from its floodplain will only worsen the situation,\u201d he said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/> <\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"What the wall proposes to do\" msid=\"130271291\" width=\"\" title=\"What the wall proposes to do\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-130271291\/what-the-wall-proposes-to-do.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>What the wall proposes to do<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>Instead, Rawat suggested that govt focus on ensuring accountable operation of barrages and addressing the rising riverbed levels in Delhi. \u201cAttention must be given to managing sedimentation and undertaking measures such as dredging based on scientific assessment, rather than pursuing permanent construction on the floodplain,\u201d he said As ITO barrage is currently serving no purpose and was among key reasons for aggravating 2023 flood damages, it is time govt starts planning its decommissioning which will benefit the river ecosystem in multiple ways apart from greatly reducing the floodingrisks and threats in Delhi, he said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"34\"\/> Other experts echoed similar concerns, particularly about the impact on groundwater recharge. Another expert said that preventing water from entering floodplains could disrupt the natural replenishment of aquifers.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/>\u201cIf water is not allowed to reach the floodplain, groundwater recharge will be affected,\u201d he said and added that there is importance of maintaining the natural connection between the river and its floodplain.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/delhi\/permanent-flood-solution-govt-for-5km-yamuna-wall\/articleshow\/130271174.cms\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Delhi government has greenlit a 4.7-km flood wall along the Yamuna&#8217;s western ban NEW DELHI: Delhi govt on Tuesday approved the construction of a 4.7-km-long flood protection wall along Yamuna river, which would act as a shield against flood waters entering the Ring Road and adjoining localities such as Civil Lines, Kashmere Gate and Yamuna [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[150],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3447","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-delhi"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3447\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}