<keyword id="22472631" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Yamuna-floodplain" source="keywords">Yamuna floodplain</keyword>, an <keyword id="19949334" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="eco-sensitive-zone" source="keywords">eco-sensitive zone</keyword>, has to be zealously protected from <keyword id="19995463" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="encroachment" source="keywords">encroachment</keyword> and no structure, <keyword id="20282715" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="religious" source="keywords">religious</keyword> or otherwise, can be permitted to stand there and has to be necessarily removed, the <keyword id="19895875" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-High-Court" source="keywords">Delhi High Court</keyword> has said. A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan refused to interfere with an order of a single judge allowing <keyword id="19988335" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="demolition" source="keywords">demolition</keyword> of '<keyword id="22472633" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prachin-Shiv-Mandir" source="keywords">Prachin Shiv Mandir</keyword>' — which was built near the river in Geeta Colony area, noting that the appellant, '<keyword id="22472634" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prachin-Shiv-Mandir-Avam-Akhada-Samiti" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Prachin Shiv Mandir Avam Akhada Samiti" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Prachin Shiv Mandir Avam Akhada Samiti">Prachin Shiv Mandir Avam Akhada Samiti</keyword>', did not have even a "single scrap of a document" to show any legitimacy. "(The appellant) does not dispute that the said temple was on a site which is located within the Restoration and Rejuvenation of <keyword id="20076776" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="yamuna" source="keywords">Yamuna</keyword> River Floodplain Asita, East U.P. land (86 Hectares) from ITO Barrage to old Iron Railway Bridge.. It is apparent that the temple has been constructed unauthorizedly on encroached land in an eco-sensitive zone area. If that is so, no structure, religious or otherwise, can be permitted to stand and have to be necessarily removed. More so, the Yamuna River Floodplain has to be zealously protected from such encroachment and unauthorized constructions," said the bench, also comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, in its order passed on July 10. Observing that the entire structure comprising the temple had already been demolished by the DDA, the court said even otherwise, nothing survived for further consideration. The appellant claimed that it was established as a society by a distinguished priest, renowned for founding 101 Shiv Lingas, and the temple stood on one of such revered Shiv Lingas. It assailed the demolition order on the grounds that it received no formal notice from the authorities and the land belonged to the State of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and not the DDA. The appellant also alleged that no opportunity was granted by the Religious Committee before it recommended the demolition. In its order, the court stated that the appellant has no document to show its ownership over the site where the temple was built and although the land belonged to the State of UP, the DDA was conferred with the task of removal of any type of encroachment from the land required as per an MoU. The court also rejected the allegation of violation of principles of natural justice by the Religious Committee, saying a "rank encroacher on public land carrying out unauthorized construction cannot make a grievance of the same". "There is not even a single scrap of a document placed on record by the appellant/society to show any kind of legitimacy it exercises, either over the land or the illegal structure built thereon. Thus, this argument is noted only to be rejected," the court stated. "Looked at in any which way, the construction of temple over the said land was not only unauthorized but also the DDA had proper authority to remove any such unauthorized construction or pre existing structures," the court said. On May 29, the single judge had refused to set aside the order for demolition of 'Pracheen Shiv Mandir', while also refusing to make the deity a party to the petition. The court had said that Lord Shiva did not need anyone's protection and would be happier if the Yamuna river bed and flood plains areas were cleared of all encroachments and unauthorised construction.

No unauthorised structure, religious or otherwise, permitted on Yamuna floodplain: HC

New Delhi, The water level of the <keyword id="6354936" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="yamuna" source="Orion">Yamuna</keyword> in Delhi crossed the danger mark of 205.33 metres yet again on Friday, further delaying rehabilitation efforts in the flood-affected low-lying areas. The Central Water Commission's (CWC) data showed the water level reached 205.34 metres at 6 pm on Friday and may rise further to 205.45 metres by 11 pm. There have been marginal fluctuations in the water level over the last two-three days amid rain in the upper catchment areas, primarily in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Yamuna had been receding gradually after reaching an all-time high of 208.66 metres on July 13. The water level dropped below the danger mark by 8 pm on Tuesday after flowing above the threshold for eight days. It receded to 205.22 metres at 5 am on Wednesday, before it started rising again and breached the danger mark. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh till July 22. In case of heavy rains upstream of Delhi, the increase in the water level could slow down the pace of rehabilitation of the affected families in the inundated low-lying areas of the capital and they may have to stay in relief camps for a longer period. It could also impact the water supply in the city, which became normal only on Tuesday after being affected for four to five days due to the inundation of a pump house at Wazirabad. The pump house supplies raw water to Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants, which together account for around 25 per cent of the city's supply. According to Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials, there is a shortage of 10-12 million gallons of water per day (MGD) due to inundation of some tube wells in the river floodplain at Palla. The DJB extracts around 30 MGD from the tube wells installed in the Palla floodplain. Parts of Delhi have been grappling with waterlogging and flooding for more than a week now. Initially, a downpour caused intense waterlogging on July 8 and 9, with the city receiving 125 per cent of its monthly rainfall quota in just two days. Subsequently, heavy rains in the upper catchment areas of the Yamuna, including in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana, led to the river swelling to record levels. At 208.66 metres on July 13, the Yamuna surpassed its previous record of 207.49 metres set in September 1978 by a significant margin. It breached embankments and penetrated deeper into the city than it has in over four decades. The consequences of the floods have been devastating, with more than 27,000 people evacuated from their homes. The losses incurred in terms of property, businesses and earnings have run up to crores. Experts attribute the unprecedented flooding in Delhi to encroachment on the river floodplain, extreme rainfall within a short span of time and silt accumulation that has raised the riverbed.

Yamuna water level crosses danger mark in Delhi again

The water level of the <keyword id="6354936" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="yamuna" source="Orion">Yamuna</keyword> in Delhi followed a downward trend on Tuesday morning after a slight increase on Monday due to rains in catchment areas upstream of the national capital. However, it is still flowing over two metres above the danger mark of 205.33 metres. The Wazirabad water treatment plant, where operations were hit due to inundation of a pump house, has also started working at full capacity, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said. According to the Central Water Commission's flood-monitoring portal, the Yamuna water level declined to 205.67 metres by 8 am on Tuesday from 206.01 at 11 pm on Monday. It is expected to drop further to 205.41 metres by 7 pm. With the flow rate from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana's Yamunanagar decreasing over the past two days, further decline is expected. The river has been receding gradually after peaking to 208.66 metres on Thursday. However, a minor fluctuation in the water level cannot be ruled out due to rain in the upper reaches. The inundation of a pump house at Wazirabad due to the swollen Yamuna had impeded operations at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants, leading to a 25 per cent drop in water supply. The Okhla WTP began operating on Friday, and Chandrawal on Sunday. Kejriwal said in a tweet on Tuesday, "Wazirabad Water treatment plant has also started working at full capacity. Now all WTPs are working at full capacity. DJB worked very hard. Thank you DJB!" Parts of the city have been grappling with waterlogging and flooding issues for a week now. Initially, a downpour caused intense waterlogging on July 8 and 9, with the city receiving 125 per cent of its monthly rainfall quota in just two days. Subsequently, heavy rains in the upper catchment areas, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana, led to the Yamuna swelling to record levels. The river reached 208.66 metres on Thursday, surpassing the previous all-time record of 207.49 metres set in September 1978 by a significant margin. The river breached embankments and penetrated deeper into the city than it has in over four decades. Friday marked a turning point as the raging Yamuna and the resulting backflow of foul-smelling water from drains spilled into prominent locations such as the Supreme Court, Raj Ghat, and the bustling intersection at ITO. Prior to the misery on Friday, the river water had already reached the rear ramparts of the Red Fort and inundated one of the city's major bus terminals at Kashmere Gate. The Ring Road, constructed partially over floodplains, remained closed for three consecutive days near Kashmere Gate last week. With the situation deteriorating every passing hour last week, Kejriwal had urged the Centre to intervene and the Delhi Police imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in flood-prone areas to prevent public movement there. The army was called in for the first time since the 2010 floods to repair a broken flow regulator at drain no. 12, the reason behind the flooding in central parts of the capital on Friday. The consequences of the floods have been devastating with over 26,000 people evacuated from their homes. The losses incurred in terms of property, businesses, and earnings have amounted to crores. Experts attribute the unprecedented flooding in Delhi to encroachment on floodplains, extreme rainfall occurring within shorter durations, and silt accumulation that raised the riverbed. The low-lying areas near the river in the northeast, east, central, and southeast districts, inhabited by around 41,000 people, are considered prone to flooding. A study on "Urban Flooding and its Management" by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department identifies east Delhi under the floodplain region and highly vulnerable to floods. Despite this, encroachment and development have occurred at a rapid pace in the ecologically sensitive region over the years. Letters exchanged between the Delhi Forest Department and the primary land-owning agency in the city, Delhi Development Authority, show that 2,480 hectares of land in the Yamuna floodplains have been encroached upon or developed since 2009. 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Yamuna in Delhi shows receding trend but still above danger mark

New Delhi, The <keyword id="6354936" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="yamuna" source="Orion">Yamuna</keyword> in Delhi has exceeded the evacuation mark of 206 metres, prompting the relocation of people residing in flood-prone areas to safer locations, officials said on Tuesday. The river crossed the danger mark of 205.33 metres in Delhi on Monday evening, much earlier than anticipated. According to the Central Water Commission's (CWC) flood-monitoring portal, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge rose to 206.28 metres by 6 am on Tuesday with Haryana releasing more water into the river from the Hathnikund barrage in Yamunanagar. It is expected that the river will rise to 206.65 metres by Tuesday afternoon, before gradually subsiding. Addressing a press conference on Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said a flood-like situation is unlikely in Delhi, but the city government is prepared to tackle any eventuality. He had said the evacuation of people from low-lying areas will start once the river breaches the 206-metre mark. An official from East Delhi district said the evacuation process began on Monday night after floodwaters entered some areas. "Only those living in the affected areas have been shifted to camps on higher grounds," he said. According to the irrigation and flood control department, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage had shot up to the 3 lakh cusec mark on Monday. Normally, the flow rate at the barrage is 352 cusecs, but heavy rainfall in the catchment areas increases the discharge. One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litres per second. The water from the barrage takes around two to three days to reach Delhi. The Delhi government issued a flood warning on Sunday. Authorities have been instructed to stay vigilant and take necessary action in vulnerable areas. Quick response teams and boats have also been deployed. The Delhi government has set up 16 control rooms to monitor the flood-prone areas and the water level of the Yamuna. Northwest India has seen incessant rainfall over the last three days, with many areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan recording "heavy to extremely heavy" precipitation. This has resulted in overflowing rivers, creeks and drains that have massively damaged infrastructure and disrupted essential services in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab. Delhi witnessed its highest rainfall (153 mm) in a single day in July since 1982 in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday. The city received an additional 107 mm rainfall in the subsequent 24 hours, exacerbating the situation. The heavy rain transformed roads into gushing streams, parks into watery labyrinths and marketplaces into submerged realms. In response to the torrential rain, the Delhi government announced a closure of all schools on Monday and cancelled the Sunday leave of government officials, instructing them to be in the field. The <keyword id="127625" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="yamuna-river" source="Orion">Yamuna river</keyword> system's catchment covers parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. The low-lying areas near the river in Delhi are considered prone to flooding and are inhabited by around 41,000 people. Encroachments on the river floodplain have occurred over the years, despite the land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), revenue department and private individuals. The Yamuna breached the danger mark twice in September last year, with the water level reaching 206.38 metres. In 2019, the river witnessed a peak flow rate of 8.28 lakh cusecs on August 18-19 and the water level rose to 206.6 metres. In 2013, it reached a level of 207.32 metres. The river had swollen to an all-time record water level of 207.49 metres in 1978.

Yamuna swells further in Delhi, evacuation begins

New Delhi, The <keyword id="6354936" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="yamuna" source="Orion">Yamuna</keyword> inched closer to the warning mark in Delhi as Haryana released more water into the river from the Hathnikund barrage amid persistent rains in the upper catchment areas. According to a flood bulletin, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge increased from 203.18 metres at 1 pm on Sunday to 203.58 metres at 10 am on Monday. The warning level is 204.5 metres. The water level is anticipated to rise to 205.5 metres between 10 am and 12 noon on Tuesday, crossing the danger mark of 205.33 metres. The irrigation and flood control department said the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage gradually increased from 1,05,453 cusecs at 4 pm on Sunday to 2,54,806 cusecs at 10 am on Monday. Normally, the flow rate at the barrage is 352 cusecs, but heavy rainfall in the catchment areas increases the discharge. The water from the barrage takes around two to three days to reach Delhi. The Delhi government issued a flood warning on Sunday and started shifting people living close to the river banks to safer areas. Authorities have been instructed to stay vigilant and take necessary action in vulnerable areas. Quick response teams and boats have been deployed, according to the department. The Delhi government has set up 16 control rooms, including a central control room, to monitor the flood-prone areas and the water level of the Yamuna. Northwest India has seen incessant rainfall over the last three days, with many areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan recording "heavy to extremely heavy" precipitation. This has resulted in overflowing rivers, creeks and drains that have massively damaged infrastructure and disrupted essential services in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab. Delhi witnessed its highest rainfall (153 mm) in a single day in July since 1982 in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday. The city received an additional 107 mm rainfall in the subsequent 24 hours, exacerbating the situation. The heavy rain transformed roads into gushing streams, parks into watery labyrinths and marketplaces into submerged realms. In response to the torrential rain, the Delhi government announced a closure of all schools on Monday and cancelled the Sunday leave of government officials, instructing them to be in the field. The <keyword id="127625" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="yamuna-river" source="Orion">Yamuna river</keyword> system's catchment covers parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. The low-lying areas near the river in Delhi are considered prone to flooding and are inhabited by around 37,000 people. Encroachments on the river floodplain have occurred over the years, despite the land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), revenue department and private individuals. The river breached the danger mark twice in September last year.

The Yamuna inched closer to the warning mark in Delhi

New Delhi, The Delhi Police imposed prohibitory measures under CrPC <keyword id="6382007" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="section-144" source="Orion">section 144</keyword> in flood-prone areas of the city on Wednesday as the Yamuna river swelled to 207.55 metres, breaching its record of 207.49 metres set in 1978. The CrPC's section 144 prevents unlawful assembly of four or more persons and public movement in groups. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority issued an advisory asking people to move to safer places and cautioning them against passing through low-lying areas. As the flood situation persisted in the Yamuna river, people should stay away from power lines and reach out to the helpline 1077 in case of any need, it said. Delhi Cabinet Minister Atishi is visiting relief camps to take stock of the flood situation and the preventive measures taken. She said the Delhi government is strengthening river embankments and evacuating people out of the floodplains. According to officials, Garhi Mandu village near the Signature Bridge in Wazirabad has been submerged. A majority of the people have been taken to safety and the rest are being rescued using boats, they said. According to the Central Water Commission's flood-monitoring portal, the Yamuna's water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the 207-metre mark at 4 am on Wednesday, the first time since 2013. It rose to 207.55 metres by 1 pm. The water level is likely to rise further, an official of the irrigation and flood control department said.

CrPC section 144 imposed in Delhi's flood-prone areas as Yamuna water level rises

New Delhi, Apr 17 () Amid the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, nearly 40-50 farm labourers living on the Yamuna floodplains have been cut off from the rest of the world and left waiting for the boat with food packets to arrive. They are facing hardships due to lack of connectivity through roads and dependent on outsiders for basic amenities. Around 40-50 farm labourers are totally cut off and can be reached only through boats, Sonu Pandit, a resident of Chilla village, said. "There are 15-20 families, including mine, who receive food that is brought to us through boats. Life was already tough for us and the lockdown made things worse," said Shiv Kumar, 25, who works as a farm labourer along with his four brothers. A community kitchen ,'Sewa Rasoi', run by Virendra Sachdeva and his friends Rajiv Kohli and Vijemdra Dhama in Mayur Vihar, is providing food parcels to the farm labourers amid the lockdown. "We learnt about the plight of people living on the Yamuna floodplains. Around 200 food packets are being sent to them daily through a boat," said Sachdeva, former president of the Mayur Vihar unit of the BJP. Abdul, a 23-year-old farm labourer and a construction worker, said he was worried when the lockdown was announced as he relied on his daily wages for food. "But luckily, we get food packets and sometimes dry ration from Sewa Bharti. Earlier, we used to buy items from nearby localities but it has stopped now due to the lockdown. We take water from a tanker near the Hanuman temple," he said. VIT SNESNE

Lockdown: Anxiety grips farm labourers living on Yamuna floodplains

The Delhi administration on Friday sounded an "alert" as the water level of the Yamuna in the capital rose to 205.22 metres, precariously close to the 'danger mark' of 205.33 metres, as rains continued to pound northwest India, officials said. The irrigation and flood control department has deployed 13 boats in different areas and put 21 others on standby. With Haryana discharging more water into the river from the <keyword id="404626" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hathnikund-Barrage">Hathnikund Barrage</keyword>, the <keyword id="6358992" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-Police">Delhi Police</keyword> and the East Delhi district administration have started evacuating people living on the floodplains of the Yamuna in the capital. "These people are being shifted to shelter homes of the city government in the Yamuna Pushta area," an official said. The water level was recorded at 205.22 at the Old Railway Bridge at 8:30 am. It was 203.74 metres at 8:30 pm on Thursday. "The water level was 205.10 metres at 6 am and 205.17 at 7 am," the official said, adding it is likely to rise further. A flood alert is declared when the Yamuna crosses the "warning mark" of 204.50 metres. The situation is being monitored round-the-clock, a district administration official said. The river is in spate because of rains in Delhi and the upper catchment areas, a MeT department official said, adding it may swell further as more rains are predicted in northwest India. The weather department has also issued an "orange alert" for moderate rains in Delhi-NCR for the third day on the trot on Friday. According to the Delhi flood control room, the discharge rate at the Hathnikund Barrage peaked to 1.60 lakh cusecs on Tuesday afternoon, the highest this year so far. The water discharged from the barrage normally takes two-three days to reach the capital. Haryana had been releasing water from the Yumananagr-located barrage at the rate of 19,056 cusecs at 8 am. The flow rate was 25,839 cusecs at 8 pm on Thursday. Normally, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage is 352 <keyword id="6659875" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cusec">cusec</keyword>, but the discharge is increased after heavy rainfall in catchment areas. One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litres per second. In 2019, the flow rate had peaked to 8.28 <keyword id="11720268" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="lakh-cusec">lakh cusec</keyword> on August 18-19, and the water level of the Yamuna had hit the 206.60 metre-mark, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 metres. The Delhi government had to launch evacuation and relief operations after the overflowing river submerged many low-lying areas. In 1978, the river had swelled to the all-time record water level of 207.49 metres. In 2013, it had risen to 207.32 metres. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/windlas-biotech-to-raise-395-402-crore-through-public-listing-price-band-fixed-at-448-460/articleshow/84854594.cms">Windlas Biotech to raise ₹395-402 crore through public listing, price band fixed at ₹448-460</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/googles-sundar-pichai-has-teased-the-whitechapel-chipset/articleshow/84853916.cms">Google teases Whitechapel chipset that may power Google Pixel 6 devices</a>

District administration begins evacuating people living near Yamuna as water level reaches 'danger mark'

Panaji, Polymers in <keyword id="19970180" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microplastics" source="keywords">microplastics</keyword> may pose a risk to the Indo-Gangetic plain, a study on the Ganga and Yamuna rivers by the Goa-based CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has said. Researchers behind the study have said their findings could serve as a starting point for an action plan required by municipal corporations to "mitigate plastic pollution and target the possible sources at each location." Microplastics are extremely small pieces of plastic debris in the environment resulting from the disposal and breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste. The study, titled 'A comprehensive assessment of macro and microplastics from Rivers Ganga and Yamuna: Unveiling the seasonal, spatial and risk factors', has been published in the 'Journal of Hazardous Materials' on Saturday. As per the study, conducted by a team led by CSIR-NIO <keyword id="20827222" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="principal-scientist" source="keywords">principal scientist</keyword> <keyword id="20994181" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dr-mahua-saha" source="keywords">Dr Mahua Saha</keyword>, microplastics were detected in the Ganga from Haridwar to Patna, with the pollutant concentration being higher during "wet (rainy) season than the dry season". The high-hazard polymers in microplastics may pose a risk to the Indo-Gangetic plain, it said. In surface water, during the wet season, the highest abundance of microplastics was found in Haridwar and the lowest was observed in Patna. During the dry season, Agra had the highest affluence of microplastics, while Patna and Haridwar had the lowest concentration, as per the researchers. During the study, the researchers also identified the plastic leakage vulnerable regions using GIS applications and field surveys. "Among all, Agra recorded the highest plastic leakage followed by Prayagraj, Patna and Haridwar. In contrast, the microplastic concentration was highest during the wet season compared to the dry season for surface water, water column and sediments," it said. The microplastic abundance in surface water, water columns and sediments along the Ganga and Yamuna rivers differed evidently during the wet and dry seasons, the researchers concluded. During the study, it was observed that significant waste was brought by the river from the upstream cities in the dry season and was deposited in the floodplain region. These wastes get washed off during the wet season. "As a result, it is conceivable that over time, these macroplastics might have degraded into smaller pieces and subsequently transported into the adjacent river systems by urban run-off during the wet season," said the study. The dispersion of microplastics is not limited to localised areas in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, it said. "However, it is challenging to distinguish the exact incorporation of microplastics between locally generated plastics and those carried from upstream sources since many rivers pass through the residential areas and due to the lack of awareness, sometimes local deposition of plastics into the river is much higher," the researchers said. The other researchers involved in the study included <keyword id="20994180" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="priyansha-gupta" source="keywords">Priyansha Gupta</keyword>, Akshata Naik, M <keyword id="20162494" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="manish-kumar" source="keywords">Manish Kumar</keyword>, Chaynika Rathore, Shrish Vashisth from the CSIR-NIO and <keyword id="20994179" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shukla-pai-maitra" source="keywords">Shukla Pai Maitra</keyword>, K D Bharadwaj and Harsh Thakural from the Delhi-based National Productivity Council.

Microplastics may pose risk to Indo-Gangetic plain: Study

<ul><li>Chief Minister <keyword id="260213" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword> took to Twitter to say that rainwater harvesting will be mandatory for all government offices in Delhi. </li><li>The government is also testing natural water storage in the Yamuna river floodplains.</li><li>The central government had recently launched an initiative on the lines of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan called <keyword id="7815662" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jal-Shakti-Abhiyan">Jal Shakti Abhiyan</keyword>.</li></ul>Delhi government is taking steps towards <keyword id="6362691" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="water-conservation">water conservation</keyword>. The Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to announce multiple pilot projects for water conservation. One of them is to make rainwater harvesting mandatory for all government offices in the national capital. Kejriwal said that head of departments have been “directed to install systems in buildings which don't have it and existing systems to be cleaned and kept ready before monsoons”. Not just that, as the monsoon is expected to come in, the government also wants to test natural water storage in the Yamuna river floodplains. The central government recently launched an initiative called Jal Shakti Abhiyan' - a campaign for water conservation and water security, in the wake of an acute water crisis in the country. The delayed monsoon is expected to hit Delhi between July 3-5 and these water conservation projects seem to be the need of the hour. According to an IANS report, about 24 states in the country have received deficient rainfall in June with 250 districts across India reeling under severe water crisis.

In the wake of a national water crisis, Delhi government makes rainwater harvesting mandatory for all government offices

New Delhi, Jan 18 (PTI) The Delhi Development Authority's budget for 2022-23 was approved on Tuesday with allocations being made for ongoing housing projects, key civic infrastructure works and for Ph-IV of the Delhi Metro. The budget with an annual outlay of Rs 7,933 crore -- with receipts being projected at Rs 7,943 crore -- was approved in an online meeting of the Authority, chaired by Lt Governor Anil Baijal, also the chairman of the DDA, officials said. The DDA budget includes allocation for civic infrastructure, ongoing housing and sports-related projects and in situ development for slum rehabilitation; environmental initiatives, promotion of sports, transit-oriented development and metro projects, officials said. A total allocation of Rs 2,922 crore has been made in budget estimate (BE) 2022-23 for the development of land and physical infrastructure which includes roads, sewerage, water supply, power lines and drainage mainly in the sub-cities of Narela, Dwarka and Rohini, the DDA said in a statement. Also, the DDA had signed an MoU with the National Highways Authority of India for the construction of Urban Extension Road–II (UER) as a national highway. Out of the approximate the project cost of Rs 7,700 cr, the DDA has agreed to provide the viability gap funding of Rs 3,600 cr which is to be released in a phased manner. Rs 1,787 cr out of this will be funded from Urban Development Fund and rest by DDA. As the work on the project has gathered pace, Rs 900 crore had been released during 2021-22. For this, BE 2021-22 of Rs 100 crore has been enhanced and sum of Rs 725 crore has been kept in BE 2022-23 for this project, the statement said. The DDA said, it is committed to provide Rs 1,000 crore as a grant to the DMRC in a phased manner for Delhi Metro's Ph-IV project. In BE 2022-23 also, provision of Rs 240 crore has been provided for this purpose, it added. An allocation of Rs 2,543 crore has been provided in BE 2022-23 for completion of the ongoing housing projects, the statement said. The DDA had launched a special housing scheme 2021 in December, consisting of its existing inventories of around 18,000 flats. In addition, a number of projects are also likely to be completed during 2022-23 in Dwarka and Narela, and DDA has projected revenue of Rs 2,761 crore from the sale of flats in BE 2022-23, it added. The work for the development of the iconic Bharat Vandana Park with a project cost of Rs 560 crore in Dwarka sub-city is already in progress. The project spread over an area of 80 ha is being executed by NBCC. Provision of Rs 280 crore has been made in BE 2022-23, the DDA said. Also, DDA has prepared an action plan for rejuvenation of water bodies across Delhi, accordingly a provision of Rs 17.90 crore has been provided in BE 2022-23 under this head, it said. DDA has also undertaken the work of rejuvenation and restoration of the floodplains of River Yamuna at a total cost of Rs.928.92 crore. The work is being taken up in a phased manner as 10 separate sub projects. A sum of Rs 35.77 crore has been provided as BE 2022-23, the statement said. Besides, an outlay of Rs 77 crore in the budget has also been provided towards development, upgradation, modernization and maintenance of city parks maintained by DDA. The budget also provided for promotion of sports. A sum of Rs 546 cr has been provided in BE 2022-23. This includes expenditure on the ongoing project of construction of three new sports complexes at Dwarka, one at Rohini and a golf course at Dwarka. Apart from this, the DDA is also maintaining the existing 18 sports complexes and two golf courses, the statement said. In the meeting, the Authority also approved the extension of existing rates of additional FAR (floor area ratio) and use conversion charges for various categories of properties up to June 30, 2022, as it was felt that enhancement of rates at this stage may not be in the larger public interest during the COVID-19 pandemic period, officials said. Now, it shall be forwarded to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, for approval. Revised rates of institutional land allotted or to be allotted by DDA to government or local bodies for the block period of 2020-22, was also given a nod, for further approval of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The Authority also approved inclusion of multi-storied flats along Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Pt. Pant Marg under redevelopment area in Zonal Development Plan (ZDP), for construction of multi-storied flats for members of Parliament (Lok Sabha), for final notification by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, officials said. Besides Delhi Lt governor, DDA Vice Chairman Manish Kumar Gupta, and other members of the Authority, including MLAa Vijender Gupta, Somnath Bharti and O P Sharma, were also present in the meeting. PTI KND TIR TIR

DA budget approved: DMRC grant; allocation for housing, other projects

<ul><li>The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy rains in the city on Thursday as well. </li><li>The Delhi Traffic Police remained busy clearing traffic on Narela-Bawana road, Raja Garden flyover, Kasturba Underpass, MB Rad, Jhandewalan Mandir, Jhilmil underpass,, Azadpur vegetable market, Sarai Pipal Thala, Jahangirpuri, Madanpur Khadar among other places. </li><li>Similar scenes played out on Wednesday, as incessant rains pummelled the national capital region, submerging roads, underpasses and parks in waist-deep water and bringing traffic on key stretches to a virtual halt. </li></ul> Many parts of the national capital and key road stretches remained flooded as rains continued to drench the city on Thursday, triggering traffic snarls during morning rush hours. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy rains in the city on Thursday as well. The downpour may lead to "major traffic disruption" due to heavy water logging and there is an "increased chance" of road accidents, it warned. The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for the city, recorded 46 mm rainfall between 8:30 am on Wednesday and 8:30 am on Thursday. On an average, the city gauges 11.3 mm rainfall from 8:30 am on August 19 to 8:30 am on August 20 every year. The Palam weather station gauged 70.9 mm precipitation during the period, more than six times the normal rainfall. The Delhi Traffic Police remained busy clearing traffic on Narela-Bawana road, Raja Garden flyover, Kasturba Underpass, MB Rad, Jhandewalan Mandir, Jhilmil underpass,, Azadpur vegetable market, Sarai Pipal Thala, Jahangirpuri, Madanpur Khadar among other places Similar scenes played out on Wednesday, as incessant rains pummelled the national capital region, submerging roads, underpasses and parks in waist-deep water and bringing traffic on key stretches to a virtual halt. The flooding was particularly severe in Gurugram, where roads turned into small rivers and parks resembled swimming pools. Just a few hours of rains flooded swathes of Delhi, spelling trouble for commuters who remained stuck for hours on water-logged roads. Pictures and videos of vehicles and people wading through waist-deep water were widely shared on social media. The rains also crippled electricity supply in many areas. Civic bodies reported incidents of uprooting of trees in a few areas due to the rains. A boundary wall of a school in Saket collapsed, damaging several vehicles parked alongside it. Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather, a private forecasting agency, said climate change had led to a change rain pattern. Earlier, we used to witness continuous light rains over two-three days. Nowadays, the same quantum of rainfall occurs in just 2-3 hours. These extreme events have been taking place across the tropical region since last 10 years," he said. Experts said the flooding was a result of bad urban planning. "Flooding in Indian cities is largely a product of bad urban planning. In Delhi, the Yamuna floodplains have been encroached upon obstructing the natural water flow. Other issues include deforestation, poor drainage system and lack of integrated urban planning," Anjal Prakash, research director, Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, said. Kuldeep Srivastava,the head of regional forecasting center of the IMD, said the axis of monsoon will remain close to the national capital till Thursday. Therefore, more rains are likely. Southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea and southeasterly winds from the Bay of Bengal are also feeding moisture to the region, he said. The downpour also reduced the rain deficiency in the capital -- from 13 percent on Monday to 11 percent on Wednesday. The Safdarjung Observatory has recorded 147.4 mm rainfall against the normal of 165.2 mm in August so far. Overall, it has recorded 466 mm rainfall, six per cent more than the normal of 441.3 mm since June 1 when the monsoon season starts. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/linkedin-tcs-disney-hotstar-zee-and-other-companies-hiring-right-now-in-india/slidelist/77352775.cms">LinkedIn, TCS, Disney+ Hotstar, Zee and other companies hiring right now in India</a>

Delhi to witness heavy rains that may lead to major traffic disruption and increase chances of road accidents, warns IMD

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51311978.cms" />In a new turn of events, the Delhi government said <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=sri+sri+ravi+shankar">Sri Sri Ravi </a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=sri+sri+ravi+shankar">Shankar</a>'s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=art+of+living">Art of Living foundation</a> did not seek any police or fire safety clearance for their mega cultural event. 
 
The event, which is going to be held on the banks of the river Yamuna, has attracted lot of criticism as it is going to be organised on flood plains. 
 The <keyword id="5282" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Art-of-living">Art of Living</keyword> foundation said they had all necessary permissions to hold the event. "We have used only eco-friendly material like wood, mud, cloth, and scaffolding towards building a temporary stage," the foundation said in a statement. 
 
A petition was filed with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=national+green+tribunal">National Green Tribunal</a>, seeking cancellation of the three-day <keyword id="3626730" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Culture-festival">World Culture Festival</keyword>. 
 
The petition questioned the Environment Ministry "-If somebody has to alter the floodplains, don't you think it requires your clearance?" 
 However, <keyword id="6482350" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sri-Sri-Ravi-Shankar">Sri Sri Ravi Shankar</keyword> claimed that they would create a biodiversity park. “I have not let anyone cut even one tree,” he said. 
 
The festival, which is likely to be opened by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Narendra+Modi">PM Narendra Modi</a>, is expected to draw 3.5 million people to the banks of the River Yamuna. President <keyword id="6359124" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pranab-Mukherjee">Pranab Mukherjee</keyword> was also supposed to attend the event but cancelled it. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

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