Common Wealth Lost: Missed Opportunity to Revive Yamuna?
(Picture: Encroachments on Yamuna Flood Plains.)
A couple of years back, when I was in Delhi, the city seemed abuzz with the activity for developing nearly a new township–a tall apartment building, a walking path along the water, and state of the art stadiums–on the bank of Yamuna. With the deadline of 2010 Commonwealth Games that the city had set for itself, such complete transformation would need much activity. Actually, I should say hyper-activity. The end-result seemed very attractive: I started dreaming of the Italian and French Rivieras.
At the heart of this vision (that I was dreaming up for Yamuna’s development) was a deep, rich and salubrious river–a river healthy enough to support varied marine life. Marine flora and fauna would not only help keep the waters clean but would also make the river (and rides on it) more attractive. The vision called for navigation on the river–like boat tours on the Seine or the Amstel rivers among other–to make the area more touristy and attractive. At a distance from denser areas, abandoned stretches of Yamuna could be developed as a marina or even a boat house park, to offer a very different lifestyle to Delhiites. It called for promenades along the length of the river: promenades sheltered by pretty trees; promenades traced alongside by seasonal flowerbeds; promenades that enabled a healthier lifestyle. The promenades would bifurcate to lead people into shopping and eating areas: after all, these are integral parts of any fun activity for Indians (as borne out by the burgeoning chowpatti culture of India). And while at it, I thought why not make the most of such intense development work and expenditure by providing ultra-luxe apartments with beautiful water-views that might help the public budget recoup some of the money.
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(Picture: Demolition on Yamuna Banks for Construction of Commonwealth Village 2010.)
Looking at the condition of river flow in recent past, in the post-monsoon winter months (this used to be when the river would be at its glorious best), I doubted if the river ever achieved significant flows. I wondered if in the last 3-4 decades the river’s need for floodplains had undergone a change. Much as it saddened my heart to think so, I came to believe that the river had lost its previous strength. It could never achieve its past flows and would never need its full floodplains. So I thought that this altered state had formed part of the government’s calculations to develop some portion of the river-bed. I have since then seen much criticism of the government’s plans, critiquing the development for encroaching on the legitimate ground of the river. In the absence of any defence and with the recent moratorium, one is left in serious doubts about whether or not the project was prepared with due diligence. Irrespective of that, there is no doubt that (keeping in mind the seasonal variations of dry summer and heavy monsoon) the government would naturally have to use good planning and monitoring to ensure an even flow of the river and keep surrounding terrain safe.
Both water yielding capacity of the river and safe floodplains in terms of monsoon overflows are critical to the well-being of Delhi. A Yamuna development plan without these would be impossible, or so I thought. I was obviously wrong. I am shocked to see that the preserving of the floodplains has come as such an afterthought in 2008. Even though it is hard for me to imagine how it could have been, it appears that no such holistic development vision lay at the heart of the 2010 development along the river. Much as it seems impossible, it appears that a full-flowing, clean, healthy, marine life-supporting, resplendent river was not at the heart of governmental thinking. That it required a ban by Delhi’s Lt. Governor to allow room to the Yamuna to possess necessary floodplains and to have all the water flow that Delhi needs comes as a shock to me.
The moratorium also justifies itself by claiming to protect “ecological integrity and bio-diversity.” But all that I have seen or read about the river indicates that the filthy state of the river renders it unable or unfit to support any life in or around it. In fact, one of the major gains from Yamuna’s new development (I was thinking) would have been its return to a healthy life-supporting state.
This moratorium on floodplains development seems like one more instance of lop-sided and incomplete, uncomprehensive planning and vision on part of the executive. Instead of combining an integrated view of water flow, flood plains and development, they once again seem narrowly focused. The executive would do well to bring together diverse teams with both specialists and generalists to decide these complex development and environment issues that enable development plans which are both careful and realistic, on the one hand, and which, on the other, allow rich development of the city.
It was indeed a case of missed opportunity for the sentiments flourished on the following board on banks of River Yamuna…
(Picture: Demolition on Yamuna Banks for Construction of Commonwealth Village 2010.)
Image credit: “Encroachments on Yamuna Flood Plains” courtesy of the Ganges River Partnership Project; “Demolition on Yamuna Banks for Construction of Commonwealth Village 2010″ #1 and #2: dodo_anji via Flickr.com under a Creative Commons License.
there is definitely lop sided vision and and lack of planning on the side of the executives, but I support the moratorium on the construction on the river flood plain. if there is construction on the river flood plain it will result in problems later when the river floods and the water has nowhere to go. it will lead to rise in water levels in the river which will have adverse effects on the constructions and the people dwelling near the river. with climate change the problem will only arise more frequently until the river dies some 20 years from now. it does not matter where the common wealth village is constructed as long as it is in delhi, so why not consider an alternative site and oblige the river by leaving it to itself for once.
I guess what she is advocating is not to adopt either of the two extreme options, of leaving it alone or planning new construction without considering the health of the river. Yamuna needs to be revived actively, leaving it alone with just make the situation worse as has been happening over the years due to total neglect!