The associate coordinator of SANDRP Bheem Singh Rawat, spoke with Ifrah Mufti about critical issues in water management and flood control in the Delhi region.
What is the status of the dispute between the Haryana and Delhi regarding the operations of the barrages?
The dispute between the Haryana and Delhi governments regarding the ownership and operations of the ITO barrage seems to be reaching no conclusion. The CWC and UYRB have also appeared non-serious on the issue. The Yamuna is already starved of flows during the lean season, and the plan for the utilization of the ITO barrage to divert available water in the future is unviable and unjustified.
Has CWC played an effective role?
The fact that three barrages, namely Wazirabad, ITO, and Okhla, within just a 22 km river stretch are being managed by three different governments of Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in an apparently opaque manner, and the CWC and UYRB are just shirking their responsibilities, does not bode well for holistic flood management. The Parliamentary Committee should have taken note of this serious issue. The CWC has no answer on the sources and amount of water reaching the Wazirabad barrage from the catchment downstream.
Has the committee’s highlighted growing encroachments of floodplains?
The committee has not fixed any time limit for its recommendations. It has also not adequately dealt with the growing encroachment of floodplains in Delhi and the corresponding impact on aggravating the flood situation. Actually, the Committee has dealt with the serious issue in a limited manner, as it has neither summoned nor sought replies from DDA, PWD Delhi, NHAI, NMCG, etc., which have been regularly allowing projects that are ending up further restricting the Yamuna river.