NGT issues notice to Centre against amendment on Ganga floodplains

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the Centre following a petition challenging a recent amendment by the Jal Shakti Ministry. This amendment removed the "construction-free zone" tag on the Ganga's floodplains and redefined what constitutes a floodplain. The petitioner, environmentalist Amit Kumar, argues that this change alters the no-construction zone set out in a 2016 order and incorrectly designates the "active floodplain" to a one-in-five-year flood.

The order had previously defined the floodplain based on a once-in-100-year flood line. Kumar contends that the amendment contradicts earlier rulings of the Tribunal and the High Courts, including a 2017 decision that treated 100 meters from the river's edge as a no-development zone along the Haridwar-to-Kanpur stretch. The NGT, presided over by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member Afroz Ahmad, has directed the Union government and other respondents to file their replies and set the case for a hearing on October 27.

The amendment, which also relaxed construction rules and recast the definition of a floodplain into three bands, was approved without a stay. On August 11, The Hindu reported on the amendment, which had also modified the definition of a floodplain into three categories. The "active floodplain" refers to the area flooded by a one-in-five-year return period; a "regulatory zone" covers land flooded once in five to 25 years; and a "warning zone" covers land flooded once in 25 to 100 years.

Government officials stated that the change was to correct a legal inconsistency in the original order. However, environmentalists have raised concerns that tying protection to shorter return periods and adopting a clearance-based regime could lead to increased construction closer to the river and weaken its role as a pollution and recharge buffer.