GHAZIABAD: Following the recent floods in Loni, DM Ravindra Kumar Mandar has formed a four-member committee to identify permanent constructions in the Yamuna floodplain zone.
The committee, headed by additional district magistrate Saurabh Bhatt, SDM Loni GDA’s zonal officer, and an irrigation department official, has been tasked with identifying illegal constructions in the floodplain and submitting its report in one month, following which the area will be cleared.
Officials said flooding in Loni has become an annual issue since 2023, requiring the diversion of resources for rescue operations. This year, about 400 people were rescued from illegally constructed houses in the floodplain zone. The committee has been instructed to submit its report within a month.
“Over 13 villages, with Badarpur, Illaichipur, and Pachyera being the most vulnerable, are located in Loni on the banks of Yamuna River. Barring 2023, floods in the recent past never breached the Alipore embankment, but illegal settlements have come up in areas on the other side of embankment, which is illegal,” said ADM Bhatt.
As per the definition of a floodplain in rural areas, the floodplain area is considered 2.5 km from midstream on both sides of the river, but it differs in urban localities, which is up to 100m. Another parameter defines it with respect to highest flood level (HFL), which is the maximum width the river covered during a flood in 100 years.
“In Loni’s case, the 18 km Alipore embankment, which runs along the Yamuna, 9.6 km of which falls in Loni and the rest in Baghpat district, is the yardstick to ascertain floodplain areas. The land in the floodplain area, both private and govt, is to be used for agricultural and allied activities, and permanent construction is not allowed. However, it has come to our notice that gullible buyers have been lured into buying land in the floodplain area where they have come up with construction,” said Bhatt.
