India, Sept. 13 -- An alarming reduction in the flood-carrying capacity of the Yamuna floodplains in Delhi has been noted in recent years, a report by the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) has warned, pointing towards a surge of infrastructure projects, rampant encroachments and ill-conceived beautification works.

The shrinking capacity, it said, explains the "unconventional" flood levels witnessed in the Capital in July 2023 and again this September - despite far lower upstream discharge compared to historic floods.

Drawing on Central Water Commission (CWC) data, the report compared past and present flood patterns. On September 3, 1978, a peak discharge of 709,000 cusecs at Hathnikund barrage (HKB) corresponded to ...