New Delhi: Delhi is divided into multiple zones for the purpose of administration and development. Zone O is the Yamuna flood plain.

On May 23, the Delhi high court stated that the “existence of any residential colonies in Zone ‘O’ would be completely impermissible and would also not be conducive to the environment as also to the river bed area.”

Further, the court noted, “The protection from punitive action exists only till December 31, 2026 for these residents.”

The court made the observation while hearing a case between one Vijay Kumar Diwakar and Municipal Corporation of South Delhi and others pertaining to the legal status of the houses constructed in Zone O. 

The last house in Jaitpur, Delhi as seen from the bank of Yamuna. Photo: Vipul Kumar.

The judgment, and later, demolition drives carried out in different areas of Delhi have created panic among the residents in the Zone O area.

The definition of Zone O comes from the Master Plan for Delhi 2021. It states that this area is ecologically sensitive and that it is important to protect the Yamuna from degradation. It notes that “rapid urbanisation and encroachments” are among the reasons for the “dwindling of water flow and high levels of pollutants in the Yamuna river.”

Yamuna river. Photo: Vipul Kumar.

The same master plan mentions multiple other causes of pollution in the Yamuna, such as the need for the treatment of drain water before it flows into the river, sewering unsewered areas, and the treatment of industrial effluents.

According to an affidavit submitted before the high court by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, there are over 91 colonies and one lakh houses in these areas. Zone O comprises over 7% of the total urban area of Delhi and houses a population of over five to six lakh.

A Facebook post by the Delhi government says the population in Zone O is 15 lakh.

A Zone O notice board in Jaitpur, Delhi. Photo: Vipul Kumar.

After several rounds of protests by residents living in these areas, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta has assured them that no existing structures would be touched and that the judgment applied only to new constructions. However, locals have little to no confidence in........

© The Wire