Wetlands comprising water bodies, including ponds, lakes, and percolation ponds (johads), have traditionally played an indispensable role in flood management and water security by acting as natural reservoirs. During heavy rains, these areas absorb excess water, preventing the city’s drainage systems from being overwhelmed.
“If we go back 20 years and compare the records, a significant reduction in the number of water bodies will be seen, not just in Delhi but all urban centres,” said Rajiv Mishra, former director general, National Mission for Clean Ganga and chief advisor, National Institute of Urban Affairs. “With many water bodies gone, connecting channels encroached or disrupted the water has nowhere to go but onto the roads and other impervious surfaces, exacerbating the flooding problem.”
“The floodplains of Yamuna, the city’s largest wetland and the network of wetlands in Delhi help accommodate excess rainfall and thus buffer floods. However, when these wetlands are reclaimed and constructed upon, it is these areas that are exposed to high flood risk,” said Ritesh Kumar, director of Wetlands International South Asia. Last year's monsoon saw Yamuna overflow causing severe flooding in Delhi, submerging low-lying areas.
Nearly 50% water bodies ‘missing’; Delhi government clarifies
Relentless urban expansion and high demand for land have led to the rapid development and encroachment on Delhi's water bodies and wetlands, causing many to go “missing" (either on paper or on the ground) or be repurposed. This has left the city increasingly vulnerable to flooding. An ongoing ground assessment by the Delhi government since April, prompted by a Delhi High Court directive, revealed that nearly half (49.1%) of the city’s 1,367 recorded water bodies have either disappeared or been encroached upon, leaving only 656 intact.
“Our preliminary ground-truthing efforts have revealed that approximately 50% of Delhi's official water bodies are untraceable on the ground. However, it's important to clarify that this does not necessarily mean these water bodies have completely disappeared. In many cases, there are jurisdictional issues where water bodies have been reclassified or transferred between districts, leading to confusion in records,” said a senior official from the Delhi government, asking not to be named.
The official added that the wetland authority is facing significant challenges due to a lack of clear guidance for local-level officials, such as tehsildars and block officers, who are responsible for carrying out the ground truthing.
“Many field officials rely solely on geo-coordinates to locate water bodies, but often, due to inadequate training or understanding, they struggle to accurately trace these locations. There are also misconceptions that a piece of land that experiences water logging for only a few months during the monsoon does not qualify as a water body. We are working to correct these misunderstandings and ensure that even seasonally inundated areas are recognised as important water bodies,” the official said.
Official records overstate the list of waterbodies?
As per revenue records and details published by the Delhi government’s Parks and Gardens Society (the state wetland authority operates under this department), Delhi has a total of 1,045 identified water bodies. These water bodies are distributed across various subdivisions, with the highest numbers located in southwest Delhi (273), northwest Delhi (164), and north Delhi (165). The jurisdiction of these water bodies is segregated across 16 agencies, including the Delhi Development Authority, revenue and forest divisions, and Municipal Corporation of Delhi, among various others.
"The figure of 1,045 water bodies cited by authorities in Delhi is highly misleading,” said Manu Bhatnagar, principal director, Natural Heritage Division at the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.
He explained that when his team conducted a survey in 2001, around 500 water bodies were identified. A subsequent survey in 2005-2006 identified 694, which later increased to about 790. However, even the most recent surveys, conducted in 2016, part of a project for the Department of Irrigation and Flood Control, identified only 450 water bodies.
“The discrepancy arises because many of these water bodies exist only on paper (in revenue records), but not on the ground. This is primarily due to urban expansion, where valuable land in village areas has been reclaimed, effectively erasing these water bodies from existence,” said Bhatnagar, adding that the city presently has around 450 waterbodies at most.
Identifying the root causes
The disappearance of these bodies is not just a recent phenomenon but a result of a longer, systematic neglect, said AK Gosain, retired professor, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, highlighting the importance of catchment areas. “Wetlands remain healthy only if they continue receiving water from their catchment areas. However, many of these have been blocked due to development, leading to the drying up of these water bodies,” he said.
Delhi’s surfaces have also become increasingly impermeable due to extensive concretisation. The loss of natural catchment areas means that rainwater, which would previously have been absorbed by the ground or stored in water bodies, now runs off rapidly into the streets, leading to flash floods.
Experts also warn that the encroachment of water bodies is often justified by the argument that these areas no longer receive water, leading to their repurposing for development. “When development blocks the natural water paths, they eventually dry up. This drying up is the precursor to encroachment, and once a water body is perceived as 'dry,' it becomes a target for further development,” added Bhatnagar.
The lack of clear demarcation of water bodies' boundaries has made it easy for encroachers to claim these lands. "The first and foremost step should be the demarcation of their boundaries on a war footing. Without proper demarcation, it becomes easy for these areas to be encroached upon,” said Mishra, adding, “Modern technology can aid in this demarcation, and there is an urgent need for clear and actionable guidelines at the state level.”
CR Babu, professor emeritus, Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE), highlighted that the Delhi government's policy to reduce the contours of solid waste dumps, while not directly targeting wetlands, has a collateral impact. “The policy involves filling low-lying areas with chemically inert waste, which reduces space for water absorption and aggravates flooding by overburdening storm drains. Combined with this, loss of wetlands and soil’s natural absorption capacity creates a perfect storm for urban flooding in Delhi," he said.
Agencies have often focused on cosmetic beautification rather than ecological restoration, leading to superficial enhancements that fail to address core issues like blocked water channels and pollution. "What a water body truly needs is the restoration of its natural condition," Mishra said, noting that beautification alone doesn't solve the real problems. “Recent initiatives including the Jal Shakti Abhiyan and Amrit Sarovar are prioritising the protection and rejuvenation of water bodies, especially in urban areas, reflecting a necessary shift in policy focus.”
Need of the hour
Experts agree that a comprehensive approach involving government action, community participation, and stricter enforcement of regulations is necessary to prevent further loss and mitigate the impact of floods.
“The concept of integrated urban water management is gaining traction, and it’s something that should be seriously considered for Delhi. The urban river management plan (URMP) is part of this broader approach, which looks at not just water management but also the riverfront, riparian forests, and the entire urban ecology in a holistic manner. This comprehensive approach is necessary if we are to address the complex water challenges that Delhi faces, including the protection and rejuvenation of its water bodies,” added Mishra.
The official from the Delhi government, quoted earlier, said the department and agencies needed to improve communication and training among field staff to ensure that all potential water bodies are accurately identified and classified. “This includes recognising the importance of seasonally flooded areas, which play a vital role in urban water management and flood prevention. We are actively addressing these gaps to better protect and manage Delhi’s water resources.”
Prioritising the restoration of natural water channels by integrating nature-based solutions into urban planning could help preserve biodiversity and improve water quality. “We should also not completely forget what we have lost. There is a need to audit these lost water bodies— can some of them be retrieved? The government of India also came last year with the first water body census to help with monitoring. With climate change, we may be looking at a very devastating kind of flood, and we must prepare for it before it's too late,” said Mishra.
