Delhi to seek NGT nod for Yamuna dredging to curb flooding

Rivers are generally protected from such interventions, though permissions have previously been granted for certain sections of the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Yamuna.

The Delhi government is preparing to approach the National Green Tribunal seeking permission to dredge the Yamuna, a move aimed at addressing chronic urban flooding and boosting the river’s diminished water-carrying capacity.

Increased level of Yamuna near DND flyover last week. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The proposal comes as the capital grapples with recurrent waterlogging, particularly affecting low-lying neighbourhoods along the river’s 22-kilometre stretch between Wazirabad and Okhla barrages.

“Currently dredging of the Yamuna is prohibited. We are planning to approach the NGT for approval. We are building our case with documentation regarding the need and commitment to follow all environmental norms,” said irrigation and flood control minister Parvesh Verma.

Dredging typically involves excavating accumulated silt, sludge and solid waste from riverbeds—a practice usually restricted to smaller water bodies such as canals and lakes.

Rivers are generally protected from such interventions due to concerns over ecosystem damage and bank destabilisation, though permissions have previously been granted for certain sections of the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Yamuna.

The urgency behind Delhi’s proposal stems from this year’s severe flooding, which pushed water levels beyond capacity and triggered backflow into the city’s drainage channels. Several residential colonies near the floodplain experienced extensive waterlogging, with experts attributing the crisis to the Yamuna’s reduced depth caused by unchecked siltation and untreated sewage inflows.

Satellite imagery published by HT on September 7 illustrates the extent of the flooding crisis. During this year’s monsoon flooding, water-covered area expanded dramatically, with the river bursting well beyond its usual boundaries across multiple neighbourhoods including Burari, Karawal Nagar, and areas near the Red Fort and Akshardham temple.

The satellite images highlight a critical issue: as the river enters the city’s urban core, it becomes increasingly constricted by development along its banks, leaving little room for natural overflow during high-water periods.

What should be natural floodplains—areas designed to accommodate seasonal surges—have been steadily encroached upon by residential and commercial construction, forcing excess water into streets and colonies that were never meant to handle such volumes.

Ravindra Ravi, founding member of People’s Resource Centre, highlighted the river’s constricted flow. “We have allowed concretisation of ghats and riverbeds like Vasudev. We have allowed construction in floodplains like Civil Lines. Under the Signature Bridge, there is a huge deposit of debris,” he said, adding that “dredging should help but it should be done in an ecologically sensitive manner following all norms.”

The ecological degradation of this critical stretch has complicated both flood management and the city’s drinking water supply. Officials acknowledge that clearing accumulated waste and debris could significantly improve the river’s depth and flow capacity.

Running parallel to the dredging proposal, the Delhi Jal Board has been advancing desilting projects to augment raw water storage. A plan to clean the Wazirabad pond—which feeds one of the capital’s largest treatment plants producing 138 million gallons daily—was recently deferred due to monsoon onset.

Officials believe that combining pond clearance with river dredging could potentially double the Yamuna’s current water-holding capacity, thereby mitigating flooding whilst improving raw water availability and reducing stress on downstream regulators.

According to a DJB report, the Yamuna near Wazirabad was last desilted in 2013, though that attempt was halted by the National Green Tribunal over sand mining concerns. In 2015, the tribunal eventually permitted the work, noting that “dredging needs to be carried out in public interest and to maintain the flow of the river”.