National Green Tribunal (NGT) stated that Ganga River is facing floodplain encroachment

Posted 04 May 2024

2 min read

In 2017, NGT declared an area of 100 metres from edge of Ganga between Haridwar and Unnao as a “No Development Zone” to abate encroachment and pollution of river Ganga.
- Order directed state government to demarcate floodplains and identify permissible and non-permissible activities.

Floodplain zoning
- It is recognized as an effective non-structural measure for flood management.
- It aims at demarcating zones or areas likely to be affected by floods.
- It specifies permissible developments in demarcating zones in order to minimize damage by flood.
However, many States have reservations on implementing floodplain zoning due to high population density, non-availability of sufficient land for relocating people occupying floodplains, etc.

Steps for floodplain zoning
- Model Bill for Flood Plain Zoning 1975: Envisages zoning of floodplain of a river according to flood frequencies.
  - Manipur, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir had enacted the legislation.
- National Mission for Clean Ganga: Advised all states in Ganga basin for demarcation of river floodplains and removal of encroachment from floodplain of river Ganga and its tributaries.

Flooding once in 100 years: Preferences should be given to Defence installations, public utilities like hospitals, electricity installations, water supply etc.
Flooding once in 25 years: Public institutions, government offices, universities, residential areas etc. should be constructed on columns or stilts.
Flooding once in 10 years: Reserved for green areas like parks, gardens.

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