Yamuna's Woes - Commonwealth Games Village in Delhi

The 118 acre Commonwealth Games village is under construction on the floodplains of the Yamuna, in spite of warnings that the construction will endanger lives.

According to experts "Any construction, especially a multi-storey construction on the riverbed is an invitation to disaster. It is like a deathtrap."

The Yamuna has a history of flooding. It’s the floodplain that acts as a buffer and prevents flooding in populated areas. Construction there would also mean a reduction in groundwater levels, worsening Delhi's drinking water crisis.

Ecologist, MC Mehta informs, "The groundwater situation in Delhi is so critical that some of the blocks in Delhi have been declared as critical areas or dark spots. Saline water has also started coming in because there is no sweet water, so where is the water?"

Adding to that is the fact the Yamuna flood-plains also sit on a seismically active area. Manoj Mishra tells us, “There is a seismic map of Delhi. It's the river bed that sits on the fault line."

Experts say that suggestions for alternative sites such as the unused Safdarjung aerodrome or the already-standing Jasola Sports Complex have been ignored by the Delhi Government.

Hydrology expert, IIT Delhi, Prof AK Gosain says, "There are a lot of possible sites in and around Delhi. I don't think that the concerned authorities have really looked at any of those alternative proposals and sites. On the contrary, they have suggested that the most dangerous one on the floodplains of the Yamuna."

But Sheila Dixit rejects all criticism. She says, “Show me another city in the world, which has not developed its riverbanks. Development has to take place.”

The Commonwealth Games Federation now seems wary of Delhi Government's assurances.

CEO, Commonwealth Games Federation, Mike Hooper remarked, "We can only rely on the assurances that we are given. If those assurances subsequently proved to be inaccurate, they would be of concern."

Despite no approvals for constructing a games village on the site and with all the experts clearly pointing to how dangerous the construction can be, the government insists on continuing the construction work.

The games Village is going to be used only for the 2-4 weeks during the commonwealth games and after that it will continue to be a cement waste land causing un-told problems for Delhites.