Washed out by the currents (The Hindu 26 May 2013)

The HinduVoracious waters: The eroded banks of the Brahmaputra. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

Geo-tube: A contraption that helps to provide strength and stability to embankments.

The expensive geo-textile tube project to arrest embankment erosion in Brahmaputra’s Majuli is feared to do little to stop the river’s strong corrosive powers

From a distance it looks like a corrugated astro-turf, adding a shade of green on a small patch of a rather long and dusty embankment (or dyke) for protection from swirling waters of the mighty Brahmaputra. Called geo-textile tube (or geo-tube), it comprises of high-strength woven geo-textile that is filled with sand slurry under high-pressure. The geotextile fabric allows consolidation of the sand to create a long sausage-like gravity structure. As grass takes root on this surface over time, the tubes are expected to provide strength and stability to the embankment.

The positive experiences with geo-tubes for shoreline protection in some parts of Malaysia brought the technology to India, ostensibly to stop the recurrence of embankment erosion. A pilot project, utilising geo-tubes installed as submerged dykes, was undertaken in 2006 to protect shoreline erosion at many vulnerable sites along the Malaysian coast. Encouraged by the success of the pilot initiative, a similar project was undertaken two years later to protect a five-km-stretch of the beach at Pantai Batu Buruk.

Buoyed by the success stories emanating from the Far East, 146 geo-tubes were laid at Matmara in Majuli, the biggest river island in Assam, amidst fanfare and optimism. Since the original embankment was breached at this site by the Brahmaputra in 2008, geo-tubes were installed to strengthen a five-km-stretch of the weakened dyke. But the river had little regard for the geo-tubes laden 3.5 km stretch (which could only be completed) and swept it away the following year. It not only meant loss of materials worth Rs. 100 crore but the consequent damages caused by surging waters were several times over.

The story didn’t end here though. The Malaysian executing agency — Emaskiara — faced flak for the dyke failure but recreated geo-tubes on a small stretch for future reference. The project seems suspended for the time but the equipments and materials are still being guarded at the site. Local people apprehend that despite being a failure the project will be revived to serve vested interests. “But it is unlikely to stop erosion and protect our villages,” opines Sunil Kumar Pgn, a resident of nearby Ruptoli village and a member of the local students union.

Reports indicate that some 93 per cent of all the dykes are well past their effective lifespan of 25 years. Erected way back in the 1950s and 1960s, the length of earthen embankments in Assam is an incredibly 4,463 km. Not only have breaching of embankments and consequent flash floods been a consistent problem for the past couple of decades, a parallel economy of flood control for repair and maintenance of dykes has come into being as well. Capital expensive geo-tubes have only contributed value to the political economy of flood management.

Interest in new mechanisms to control embankment breach is beginning to grow, oblivious of the price the exchequer may have to pay. As many as 354 cases of breach of embankments were registered in 2004, which till then was the highest for the preceding two decades. As many as 114 breaches in embankments have officially been recorded during the last four years, making a strong case for search for alternatives to the conventional system of flood moderation. No wonder, geo-textile tubes and its close cousin, geo-fabric bags, have been in the news.

Akin to conventional sand-bags, geo-fabric bags have also been tried at erosion-prone Rohmoria, upstream of the town of Dibrugarh. As was the fate of the geo-tubes, so has been the case with the geo-fabric bags. Laid along 2.6 km stretch of the Brahmaputra river bank under an Rs. 52 crore erosion control project, the geo-fabric bags have either been washed away or dislocated in the first surge of monsoon flow in the river itself. Will the geo-fabric last another season in its present form is a million-dollar question.

It goes without saying that the Brahmaputra river bed has risen significantly on account of increased silt flow due to forest clearance and infrastructure development along its course in recent decades, leading to flood waters spilling over large areas in the floodplains. “Unlike other rivers, the Brahmaputra has strong current which needs cost-effective techniques of flood moderation,” says Ravindranath of Rural Volunteers Centre, a flood relief and rehabilitation centre in flood-prone Dhemaji district. (The writer is with the Ecological Foundation, New Delhi)

DDA destroyed lake revived by citizens (Times of India 22 May 2013)

NEW DELHI: For a parched area like Dwarka, this was a success story like no other. An over-200-year-old water body was painstakingly revived in a community effort in 2012. The water body located in Sector 23, till then filled with sewage or dry for most part of the year, suddenly came to life.

This year, however, it looks like it may return to its former state. Residents have written to the lieutenant governor, complaining that DDA has taken over the maintenance of the water body and have ruined their effort.

Diwan Singh from Natural Heritage First, who assisted the residents in the revival project, says that they approached DDA to desilt the water body this year since locals could not afford to undertake the work annually.

"Just when everything seemed to be going well, the residents have been shocked to see that DDA has gone ahead with destroying it now. It has used JCB machines to put the silt back into the water body, closed down the rainwater carrying channels, reduced the size of water body and are building artificial footpaths around it," says the letter sent to the LG.

Residents met the CEO of Delhi Parks and Garden Society, who is the nodal officer for water bodies, to complain about the issue but are yet to hear about from him. Last week, they also met the DDA chief engineer in charge of the area but he "refused to do any desilting or preserve the surrounding area. At least 100 residents have signed the request letter to him. We have met him three times and sent several written communications to him", Singh said.

The DDA chief engineer didn't comment on the issue.

Residents of villages near the water body and those living in Dwarka's highrises came together in 2012 to revive this water body. Sources say that till 1984, when DDA acquired land in the area, the water in the pond was crystal clear. After ownership went to DDA, its condition deteriorated rapidly due to flow of sewage into it and shrinking of its area.

"Last year residents pooled money and labour and carried out desilting of the water body, created rainwater carrying channels, linked the stormwater drain to the water body and looked after the area around it to prevent encroachments. Our efforts bore fruit as for the first time in several years it had water till February-end. Usually, it would dry up around the end of October. Birdlife had also improved around it with a peahen observed nesting near it and hatching four chicks. A pair of owls has been seen on the peepal tree on its banks. A birdwatcher has captured images of 40 species of birds around the water body. Monitor lizards and hare have also been seen there," Singh said.

Land-grab on Yamuna bank continues (Times of India 22 May 2013)

NOIDA: The action that was reportedly taken byNoida Authority against illegal farmhouses on theYamuna floodplains two months ago seems to be mere eyewash as many more have mushroomed in the region. Sellers of illegal farmhouses and plots, allegedly with 'strong links with senior ministers and officials of the UP government', are reportedly involved in the illegal activity.

When TOI visited the site after two months of the authority's demolition drive, a shocking scenario awaited. During the drive, anti-encroachment teams had demolished a wall of a project named Buddha Garden. However, the wall has been re-constructed again.

Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Kumar Ravikant Singh remained unavailable to comment on the issue. However, DIG (stamps) Vijay Deo Sharma said there was
no clarity on the law regarding such structures, so his department has to register such farms.

TOI also visited several sectors along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway that touch the Yamuna floodplains and found at least a dozen land mafias developing farms in the region. To dupe innocent investors, a 1,000 square yard plot is being sold at a cost of Rs 40 lakh, what a two-bedroom flat generally costs in high-rises in the area. At one of the farms, a swimming pool and other concrete construction has been done, while in another wooden rooms have been constructed.

"The nexus runs right from the top till the bottom. We 'facilitate' all people in the system. Without their 'blessings' we cannot run this business," said a farm seller on the condition of anonymity. He claimed that many of them have connections with not only the Authority chairman, but also with people who are close to UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The role of the registry department and electricity department has also come under suspicion. Even as the illegal farms continue to get themselves registered with the stamps department, officials cite lack of clarity to act against the land sharks. "In the absence of any law, we have no choice but to register the farmhouses," said the DIG (Stamps).

Earlier, following TOI reports, Noida Authority and its special team led by administrative officer Rajesh Prakash had demolished some structures in 34 villages from the clutches of land sharks. At that time tall claims were made by Noida Authority chairman and CEO Rama Raman to take stringent action against the people selling farms, but to no avail.

North most affected by polluted water supply (The Hindu 18 May 2013)

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation, among all the three municipal corporations, is the most affected by the problem of polluted water supply. Over 7.3 per cent of the samples -- 507 out of the 6,922 -- from the three corporations failed the test which was carried out by the Public Health Department of NDMC. The largest number of failed water samples -- 487 samples out of 3,387 – was also from this corporation.

The percentage of failed water samples went up when the samples were tested jointly by the municipal corporation in collaboration with the Delhi Jal Board. Over 8.1 per cent, or 128 out of 1,565 water samples, failed the joint test.

Leader of NDMC House Mahender Nagpal has written to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit complaining about the poor quality of the water supply in the area. He alleged that instead of picking up samples from colonies which complain about polluted water supply, the DJB officials pick up samples from elite and clean colonies.

“When common public complains to the DJB officials about the dirty and polluted water supply, they are told that the problem lies in the nearby water pipes. In the letter written to the Chief Minister, I have requested to sort out this issue of vital importance, especially during summers,” Mr. Nagpal said.

Haryana agrees to release more raw water for Delhi (The Hindu 18 May 2013)

Delhi BJP holding a protest at ITO crossing on Friday against the ongoing water crisis in the Capital. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

Haryana has agreed to release more raw water to Delhi from Tajewala out of the share of Uttar Pradesh in the Yamuna and this would help the Capital city in generation of more water at its Sonia Vihar and Bhagirathi water treatment plants, where the treatment had been affected due to disruption in raw water supply from the Ganga Canal.

The Delhi Government said Haryana announced its decision to release more water after Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Friday requested her Haryana counterpart Bhupinder Singh Hooda to help the Capital tide over its current water crisis by releasing more water to it. “With arrival of 240 cusecs (cubic feet per second) from Tajewala and utilisation of water from storage tank in Delhi, it is expected that water supply would become normal in South and East parts of the Capital,” the Delhi Government said.

The statement further said that “water from Haryana would be lifted from Wazirabad”. It would then be take to Sonia Vihar and Bhagairathi WTPs.

Following Haryana’s noble gesture in releasing extra water to Delhi in an hour of crisis, Ms. Dikshit also thanked Mr. Hooda for his prompt intervention in the matter.

Meanwhile, it said, the Uttar Pradesh Government has started taking up the repair work on the Ganga Canal on a war-footing. The work is expected to be completed in a few days and that would result in normal supply of raw water from the Ganga Canal.

A breach had occurred in the canal near Khatauli and that had led to disruption in supply of raw water for Delhi.

Protest against Hooda for not releasing Delhi’s share of water (The Hindu 20 May 2013)

Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party activists being detained by the police for protesting outside Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's residence in Delhi on Sunday. Photo: Meeta Ahlawat

A large number of Delhi Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha activists protested near the residence of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here against the alleged “petty politicking’’ by the Congress governments of Delhi and Haryana and their failure in ensuring the Capital’s rightful share of water from the neighbouring State.

Leading the protest, Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel charged that the “overall water management system has collapsed in Delhi. Not only Delhi has not got its due share from Haryana, the much delayed Munak Canal, whose cost overruns are phenomenal, still does not have single drop of water despite the tall claims made by the Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit over the last one year.”

Pointing out that the canal was yet to be commissioned even though work had started on it in 2003 and was supposed to be completed in 27 months, Mr. Goel said: “The fact is that from Munak Canal also Delhi will only get around 75-80 MGD water. But there will still be shortfall of more than 200 MGD and the government has no plan to fill this gap. The way Congress is trying to project Munak Canal as a panacea for Delhi’s water crisis is thus misleading.”

Mr. Goel demanded that at least on such sensitive issues like water, which affects the life of every citizen of Delhi, the Congress governments in Delhi and Haryana should stop shadow boxing.

“A parched Delhi is witnessing this politicking by the Chief Minister and her colleagues with a sense of hurt, deep anguish and shock,” he said while referring to the statements of thanks issued by Ms. Dikshit and various Congress MPs of Delhi to Mr. Hooda for agreeing to release some additional water for Delhi from Tajewala.

Stating that the Delhi Government has never been ready with any water management plan, the BJP leader said knee jerk reactions and cosmetic actions will just not do.

“Delhi needs a proper water management system so that permanent solutions can be found. If a government has the will then within given resources, better water management is possible. This will take care of water woes permanently.”

Mr. Goel also said that he suspected that the Delhi Jal Board was deliberately being made dysfunctional to leave the city with no other option but go for privatisation of water as it would allow the private players to charge arbitrary rates as was happening in the case of power.

The protest was also led by Delhi BJYM president Gaurav Khari and all the activists and leaders courted arrest after the police prevented them from proceeding to Mr. Hooda’s residence.

Concrete works swallow Jia Sarai stepwell (Times of India 20 May 2013)

NEW DELHI: When Delhi Development Authority (DDA) acquired land for IIT in 1960, it was a far cry from the crowded urban city centre it is now. In the middle of the flush open farmland was a stepwell which was almost transferred to Indian Institute of Technology but better sense prevailed and the civic authorities left it alone. This baoli, however, is now lost under tightly packed concrete buildings.

Ranbir Singh, a resident of Jia Sarai where the stepwell is located, has been fighting for it since 1980s when the encroachment first started. The baoli is mentioned in Delhi government's 2006 list which has recorded 629 water bodies in the city.

"The land was first acquired by DDA and transferred to the municipal corporation a few years later. The land in question comes under khasras 74 and 75. DDA has said on record that the land is a water body and belongs to the municipal agency which is authorized to take action. However, till date, construction work is taking place. The stepwell has been covered entirely and no part of it is visible," said Singh.

Not much is known about the structure except that it is an old construction and built in an area of about 1.75 sq yard. "In 1982, a lower court had instructed that status quo be maintained on the land. Despite the order, the construction continued and private buildings cover not only the stepwell but a substantial area surrounding it. Only part of a wall is visible but that too is now enclosed by a residential building and not visible to everyone. Delhi Wakf Board has also complained against the encroachers for demolishing two tombs which existed at the spot earlier," added Singh.

Municipal officials have accepted in court that the area in question has been encroached upon and the buildings are illegal. However, no information has been given on what it intends to do with the illegal buildings or how it will stop he construction that is taking place even now.

Government officials who are part of a committee on water body count, headed by the Delhi chief secretary, say this is a classic case of land owning agencies being negligent towards the water bodies. "This is not just a water body but also a heritage structure. The case has been dragging on for around 30 years and if the departments concerned wanted, they could have easily cleared the land and preserved the water body," said an official.