Yamuna floodplains

Yamuna floodplains

Context:

• The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) carried out an anti-encroachment drive on a stretch of the Yamuna floodplains in the Sarai Kale Khan area.

Demolition drive on Yamuna floodplains

• People had encroached upon DDA land and constructed shanties while also carrying out agricultural work, which is prohibited.

Flood plain management and flood plain zoning

• The flood plain zoning  is a concept central to flood plain management. This concept recognises the basic fact that the flood plain of a river is essentially its domain and any intrusion into or developmental activity therein must recognise the river’s ‘right of way’. 
• Flood-plain zoning measures aim at demarcating zones or areas likely to be affected by floods of different magnitudes or frequencies and probability levels, and specify the types of permissible developments in these zones, so that whenever floods actually occur, the damage can be minimised, if not avoided.
• A model draft bill for flood plain zoning legislation was also circulated by the Union Government to all the States.
• This bill envisages zoning of flood plain of a river according to flood frequencies and defines the type of use of flood plain.
  • The states of Manipur, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir had enacted the legislation.