2 years on, only 25% of Hindon floodplain mapping done
National Green Tribunal
(NGT) directed the irrigation department to demarcate the Hindon floodplain across Ghaziabad and Noida, officials have admitted that only 200 sqkm of the 850 sqkm floodplain has been marked so far.
The NGT's directive came after a flood in 2023 inundated several settlements along the Hindon's course in the two NCR cities. The state irrigation department had initially committed to completing the demarcation by July this year. However, it has now sought an extension till Nov, citing delays in complex drone survey processes.
"We were directed in 2023 to begin demarcating the floodplain, which stretches across 850 sqkm in Ghaziabad and Noida.
So far, we've covered about 200 sqkm. The process involves high-end drone surveys to generate Digital Surface Models (DSM), Digital Elevation Models (DEM), contour maps, and ortho-rectified imagery (ORI)," Raj Kumar Vern, the executive engineer of UP irrigation department, said.
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Vern added that six drone teams were currently working on the survey, and the department was also seeking technical assistance from the Survey of India and IIT Roorkee.
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"Initially, we had planned to cover 75 sqkm per month, but topographical challenges and data processing needs have slowed us down," he said. Once the survey is complete, pillars marking the floodplain boundary will be installed along the riverbanks.
The Hindon river stretches around 104km through Ghaziabad and Noida before merging into the Yamuna at Momnaathal in Greater Noida's Sector 150. Of this, around 45.5km lies within Noida, cutting through 28 villages.
The irrigation department has built 42.5km of embankments in Noida and just 8km in Ghaziabad, leaving large portions of the riverbanks open to encroachments.
Areas like Karhera, Ator-Nagla and Kanawani in Ghaziabad saw the worst damage in last year's floods, with illegal colonies that have mushroomed across floodplains in these locations, undermining flood safety measures.
Despite the delay in demarcation, officials said that there is no immediate threat of flooding in the Hindon this monsoon. "Though the Yamuna level is rising due to water releases from Haryana, the Hindon remains stable. The water level near Vasundhara barrage is well below the danger mark of 205.08 metres," Vern clarified.
Officials said that once the floodplain boundaries are physically marked, enforcement against future encroachments could become more effective.
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