Yamuna Flood 2025: Is River Carrying Capacity, Pattern Changing?

October 22, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Sept. 06, satellite image showing Yamuna flood spread downstream Delhi. Credit: Raj Bhagat P)

During South West Monsoon 2025, the Yamuna has witnessed one low, one medium and one high flood spells in its upper segment. On account of good rainfall in the catchment, the river also received significant flows for about one and half month from last week of July 2025 upto first week of Sept 2025. Due to this flood spells and flows the water quality in Delhi stretch of the river improved significantly, though temporarily.

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Floods · Highest Flood Level · Monsoon · Rivers

Rivers in Extreme Floods During SW Monsoon 2025

October 4, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

This is the summary report of Highest Flood Levels (HFL) breach incidents which we could document from CWC’s flood monitoring website during South West Monsoon Season 2025. The monthly reports for HFL breach incident for July 2025, August 2025 and September 2025 can be seen by clicking the hyperlinks and the detailed final report can be seen here. SANDRP’s previous reports on the subject can be seen here: HFL breach incidents in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 (I), 2021 (II), 2022 (I), 2022 (II), 2023, and 2024.

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Highest Flood Level

Rivers Flowing in Extreme Floods in September 2025

October 1, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Yamuna river in severe flood at Mawi site in Kairana, UP on Sept. 02, 2025)

We have been able to observe river attaining new Highest Flood Level (HFL) at least at 18 flood monitoring sites of the Central Water Commission (CWC) in the last month of South West Monsoon 2025. These 18 sites are spread over 7 States & UT, including Jammu & Kashmir (6 sites), Maharashtra (4 sites), Uttar Pradesh (3 sites), Haryana (2 sites), Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka (1 each site) comprising 5 river basins including Indus (6), Ganga (6), Krishna (3), Tapi (2) and Godavari (1).

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CWC - Central Water Commission · Floods · Highest Flood Level · Monsoon · River Basin

Rivers Crossing the Highest Flood Levels in Aug 2025

September 23, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

In the third month of South West Monsoon season 2025, we have been able to track at least 23 flood monitoring sites of the Central Water Commission (CWC) where the respective rivers have crossed their Highest Flood Level (HFL). These 23 sites are spread over 5 river basins -11 sites in Ganga basin, 9 sites in Indus basin & 1 each in Mahi, Godavari and Krishna basins.

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floodplains · Floods · River Restoration · Yamuna River

Yamuna Floodplain: Will DDA Review Riverfront Projects or Continue Ad-hoc Experiments?

September 19, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Entrance of flooded Asita East project site on Sept. 05, 2025. Credit: Surendar Solanki)

First the July 2023 and now the September 2025 flood spells in Yamuna has inundated and affected several of DDA’s beautification projects being developed on the Yamuna floodplain over past 8 years. These projects were earlier labelled as part of floodplain rejuvenation but now are being termed as riverfront projects. The violations of norms, ambiguity in progress, potential detrimental impacts on floodplain eco-system, vulnerability to flood damages make it necessary that DDA critically review the projects at this stage rather than continue to waste public money and damage to floodplain in an ad-hoc manner. A photo blog showing impact inf Sept. 2025 floods on these projects can be seen here.

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floodplains · Floods · Urban Flood · Urban Rivers · Yamuna River

Yamuna Photo Blog Sept 2025: ‘Riverfront’ Projects submerged Again

September 18, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Entrace of Asita West projects flooded with Yamuna water on Sept. 05. 2025. Credit: Surendar Solanki)

Through pictures and satellite imagery, this blog documents the impact of Sept. 2025 Yamuna flood on Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) riverfront projects. These 10 projects are being developed over the past 8 years in river floodplain and had also suffered damages during July 2023 floods. Earlier they were called part of floodplain rejuvenation but now being termed as Yamuna riverfront projects. DDA website has only shown name, size and location of riverfront projects, however has maintained secrecy on important factors of cost, progress, delays, damage and losses concerning these projects.

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Disasters · floodplains · Floods · Yamuna River

Sept 2025: Why did Yamuna Repeat July 2023 Like Flood Spell in Delhi?

September 9, 2025September 15, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: NDRF team gazing at flooded relief camps at Yamuna bazar, Delhi)

In first week of September 2025, Yamuna river in Delhi has again witnessed another unusual flood spell. This is happening two years after the river recorded unprecedent flood event in July 2023. This report compares the July 2023 flood with the one in Sept 2025 underlining the probable factors making these deluges uncommon and man-made flood disaster.

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Beas · Chenab · Climate Change · Dams · Floods · Himalayas

Vulnerable Nallahs in the Himalayas Need Urgent Attention

September 1, 2025September 1, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

“When Jahlma Nallah starts roaring, we cannot sleep. It has been flooding for the past three years at least” said octogenarian Devi Singhji in October 2024. Jahlma Nallah, which joins the Chenab and blocks it occasionally, flooded again catastrophically in the monsoon of 2025.

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Floods

2025 Western Himalayan Floods: What can be done to reduce disastrous impacts?

August 30, 2025September 1, 2025 SANDRP1 Comment

Scary visuals and messages on social media as also some of the pronouncements of the Supreme Court about Himachal Pradesh have shown that Western. Himalayan states have faced multiple flood disasters in the ongoing SW Monsoon 2025. Landscape of Himalayas is known to be vulnerable to landslides, mudslips, cloudbursts, flash-floods, GLOFs, erosion, seismicity and floods. While some floods are inevitable in the kind of climate prevailing here, how they become disasters is linked to the way we have treated the landscape, environment, regulations, people and floods.

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Dam Induced Flood Disaster · Floods

DRP 250825: Threat of Dam Floods continue to be ignored

August 25, 2025December 5, 2025 SANDRP2 Comments

(Feature Image: The release of water from Pong Dam has brought devastation to Mand Bhograwan village in Kangra district, where the sudden rise in the Beas river has submerged several acres of fertile land and put houses at risk. Aug 17.)

Sudden release of large quantity of water from the dams has the potential of creating avoidable floods in the downstream areas as we could see last week in case of Ukai Dam water releases affecting Surat in South Gujarat, Ujani and Jayakwadi dam water releases in Maharashtra, Bhakra and Pong dam releases in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, among others. In all these cases, we can show that earlier water release was warranted based on available information, considering the carrying capacity of the downstream river, but such action was delayed till either the dam was full before water started (e.g. Ujani and Jayakwadi) or too large water releases created avoidable flood impacts in case of Ukai Dam on Tapi River in South Gujarat and also in case of Bhakra and Pong dams. There were also extensive damages in Mirzapur and Chandauli districts of Uttar Pradesh due to sudden release of water from a number of dams including Chandra Prabha Dam, Ahraura dam and Jargo Dam among others.

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