Hindon and Yamuna Floodplains: Flood Risk in Noida and Ghaziabad
Contents
Two rivers frame the eastern side of Delhi NCR. The Yamuna runs along the western edge of Noida and Greater Noida, and the Hindon flows south through Ghaziabad and Greater Noida before joining it. For most of the year both look harmless, and their wide floodplains look like open land waiting for development.
The monsoons of 2023 and 2025 showed what that land is for. This guide sets out what happened, which belts are low-lying, how floodplain demarcation is progressing, and how a buyer can check flood risk before paying for a plot, villa, farmhouse or flat. It is general information, not a technical or legal assessment.
What happened in 2023 and 2025
July 2023: the Hindon floods
Heavy rain in the upper catchment and releases from upstream raised the Hindon sharply in late July 2023.
- Greater Noida (Ecotech 3 belt): about 350 cars parked in a dump yard on the floodplain of Old Sutiyana village, in the Ecotech 3 area, were submerged. Officials visited shelters for displaced villagers at Chhijarsi, Chotpur and Haibatpur.
- Gautam Buddh Nagar district: on 26 July 2023 the additional district magistrate said 17 villages across the Sadar, Dadri and Jewar tehsils were affected, with 3,355 people affected and 3,137 displaced, and about 1,590 hectares under water. The Hindon villages named included Chhijarsi, Chotpur, Haibatpur, Yusufpur Chaksahberi, Sutiyana, Momnathal, Kulesara and Lakhnavali. Yamuna-side villages included Nangli Wajidpur and Chhaprauli Khadar.
- Ghaziabad: an embankment breach near Ghaziabad flooded nearby colonies. A humanitarian situation assessment listed Karhera village, Ataur Nangla, the City Forest area, Firozpur Mohan and Noor Nagar among the worst hit. On 23 July, about 50 people were rescued from Karhera alone, and shelter camps were set up in Karhera.
Notably, the official river levels at the time were below the danger marks: the Hindon at 201.15 m against a danger level of 205.80 m. Low-lying land floods well before a river is officially in danger.
September 2025: the Yamuna in Noida
In early September 2025, the Yamuna rose above its danger mark and flooded Noida’s Sector 135 area, including Nagli Wajidpur village, and parts of Sectors 126, 128 and 167. A report on 6 September 2025 said more than 3,500 people were displaced, with about 2,600 in 15 shelters, and farmhouses and fields submerged. The same report pointed to unplanned farmhouses and settlements on the floodplain edge as a reason the area was so exposed.
Which belts are low-lying
Flood risk is site-specific, but the reports above and the floodplain cases before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) point to these broad belts.
| Belt | River | What has been reported | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecotech 3 and nearby Hindon villages, Greater Noida (Sutiyana, Chhijarsi, Haibatpur, Kulesara) | Hindon | Yards and homes on the floodplain flooded in July 2023 | Unplanned colonies and farmhouses on low ground |
| Karhera, City Forest, Ataur Nangla, Noor Nagar, Ghaziabad | Hindon | Embankment breach and colony flooding, July 2023 | Settlements between the river and embankments |
| Sector 135, Nagli Wajidpur, Sectors 126, 128 and 167, Noida | Yamuna | Flooding and evacuation, September 2025 | Farmhouses and colonies on the floodplain edge |
| Momnathal and Lakhnavali, near the Hindon–Yamuna confluence, Greater Noida | Both | Affected in 2023; Lakhnavali construction raised before the NGT | Low land where two rivers meet |
| Yamuna khadar villages, Jewar tehsil | Yamuna | Villages such as Chhaprauli Khadar affected in 2023 | Agricultural floodplain |
In the 2023 and 2025 reports, the worst-hit places were villages, farmhouses, yards and colonies on the floodplain, not the planned group housing sectors. Planned sectors are not automatically safe, though: waterlogging from heavy rain is a separate problem in many areas. The highest exposure tends to be in plotted colonies, farmhouses and unauthorised layouts on the river side.
If you are looking in these districts, our guides to Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Noida describe the wider areas.
Floodplain demarcation: where it stands
A floodplain only protects anyone if its boundary is marked on the ground and in planning records. Demarcation in this region has been slow, and much of the push has come from the NGT.
- In January 2024, the NGT, hearing a case on construction on the Yamuna and Hindon floodplains in Lakhnavali village, held that the district magistrate, as head of the District Ganga Committee under the 2016 Ganga authorities order, is responsible for demarcation. It summoned the district magistrates of Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad over delays.
- In October 2024, Uttar Pradesh told the tribunal that Yamuna floodplain demarcation was complete in Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar except for a 3 km stretch upstream of Okhla Barrage. Hindon demarcation was waiting for contour maps from the Survey of India. Later filings report about 72 km of the Yamuna marked in Gautam Buddh Nagar with 294 concrete pillars.
- A May 2026 irrigation department progress report said the Survey of India supplied 1-metre contour maps for the Hindon stretch in February 2026, but a Ghaziabad report noted that contour lines were missing on one bank for part of the river. We found no confirmation that Hindon demarcation is complete or notified.
- Separately, in 2025 the NGT took up a news report that a CAG audit had criticised the Greater Noida authority for allowing farmhouses on the Hindon floodplain (OA 437 of 2025).
We found no flood plain zoning law enacted in Uttar Pradesh. The Central Water Commission circulated a model flood plain zoning bill to states in 1975, under which land use in the most flood-prone zones is prohibited or restricted, but few states have enacted it.
How to check flood risk before you buy
1. Locate the site precisely
Get the khasra number, village and sector, and mark the site on a map. Measure its distance from the river and note whether it is on the river side or the town side of any embankment (bandh). Land between the river and an embankment floods first.
2. Check the planning status
- Is the site in the authority’s master plan as residential, and inside a notified sector? Land shown as agricultural, green or river zone is a warning.
- For a plot or farmhouse, ask whether the layout is sanctioned by the Noida, Greater Noida, YEIDA or Ghaziabad authority, or is a private colony on village land.
- For projects, check that the RERA registration lists approved plans from the development authority.
3. Ask about demarcation
Ask the irrigation department’s local division (for example, the Irrigation Construction Division in Ghaziabad) or the tehsil whether the site lies inside a demarcated floodplain. On the Yamuna in Gautam Buddh Nagar, look for the concrete demarcation pillars nearby. Pending cases before the NGT can affect sites even before demarcation is notified.
4. Check elevation
Compare the site’s ground or plinth level with past flood levels. The Hindon’s danger level is 205.80 m and the Yamuna’s at Okhla Barrage is 200.80 m. A licensed surveyor can take levels on site. If the site is not clearly above past flood levels, assume it can flood. For an apartment, ask whether the basement and electrical rooms are above local flood levels or protected.
5. Talk to people who were there
Ask long-time residents and shopkeepers where water reached in 2023 and 2025. Local memory is often more precise than any map.
6. Check what is upstream and around
Low-lying approach roads can cut a society off even if its towers stay dry. Note whether the roads to the site flooded.
7. Separate river flooding from rain waterlogging
River flooding and street waterlogging are different problems with different fixes. River flooding follows high flows from upstream and can last for days, as it did in villages along the Hindon in 2023. Waterlogging follows a heavy local downpour and usually drains in hours, if drains work. When residents say an area “floods”, ask which kind they mean, how deep the water got and how long it stayed. A site that waterlogs for an afternoon is a nuisance. A site that sits in river water for a week is a far bigger risk to structure, wiring and resale value.
Insurance: what helps
A standard home policy, Bharat Griha Raksha, introduced at IRDAI’s direction from April 2021, covers the building and contents against named perils including flood and inundation. One insurer’s prospectus shows built-in cover for general contents equal to 20% of the building sum insured, up to ₹10 lakh, and no reduction of claims for under-insurance. Read the exclusions and choose a sum that reflects rebuilding cost.
Worked example
Suppose you insure the structure of a flat for ₹40 lakh under such a policy. Built-in contents cover would be 20% of ₹40 lakh, which is ₹8 lakh, within the ₹10 lakh cap. If flood damages a ground-floor flat’s flooring, wiring and furniture, the structure claim and contents claim are assessed separately. Valuable items such as jewellery need a separate declaration. Premiums vary by insurer and location.
Cars are a separate matter. Motor policies differ in how they treat flood damage, especially engine damage from water, so check your policy and any add-ons if you park in a basement or low area.
A pre-purchase checklist
- Is the site on the river side of an embankment?
- Is it inside a sanctioned sector or layout, and zoned residential in the master plan?
- Has the irrigation department demarcated the floodplain here, and is the site outside it?
- Is the site ground level clearly above past flood levels?
- Did the site or its approach roads flood in 2023 or 2025?
- Are basements, pumps and electrical rooms protected?
- Is any NGT or court case pending about construction nearby?
- Have you priced home insurance that covers flood?
Floodplain land is usually cheaper for a reason. A low price on a riverside plot or farmhouse should prompt more checks, not fewer.
Frequently asked questions
Which parts of Noida and Ghaziabad flooded in 2023?
In July 2023, the Hindon flooded villages and yards near Ecotech 3 in Greater Noida and colonies around Karhera, City Forest and Ataur Nangla in Ghaziabad. Officials said 17 villages in Gautam Buddh Nagar were affected and 3,137 people displaced.
Did the Yamuna flood Noida in 2025?
Yes. In early September 2025 the Yamuna crossed its danger mark and flooded Sector 135, Nagli Wajidpur and parts of Sectors 126, 128 and 167, displacing more than 3,500 people according to a 6 September 2025 report.
Has the Hindon floodplain been officially demarcated?
Not fully, as far as we could find. The Survey of India supplied contour maps in February 2026, according to a May 2026 progress report to the NGT, but completion of Hindon demarcation had not been confirmed.
Are high-rise societies in Noida at risk of river flooding?
The worst-hit areas reported in 2023 and 2025 were villages, farmhouses and colonies on the floodplain rather than planned group housing sectors. Waterlogging from heavy rain is a separate risk in many sectors.
Does home insurance cover flood damage?
The standard Bharat Griha Raksha policy covers flood and inundation for building and contents. One insurer's prospectus shows built-in contents cover of 20% of the building sum insured, up to ₹10 lakh.
How do I check if a plot is on the floodplain?
Check its position relative to the river and embankments, its master plan zoning, whether the irrigation department has demarcated the floodplain there, and its ground level against past flood levels. A surveyor can take levels.
Sources
- Outlook (PTI): Noida, swollen Hindon and Yamuna hit 17 villages, over 3,100 displaced (July 2023)
- Outlook (PTI): About 350 cars at Ola dump yard submerged by overflowing Hindon
- Sphere India: Ghaziabad flood situation assessment, 26 July 2023
- Outlook (PTI): Hindon river floods Ghaziabad village, more than 50 residents rescued
- The Logical Indian: Yamuna overflow floods Noida's Sector 135, over 3,500 displaced (September 2025)
- Law Trend: Non-demarcation of Hindon, Yamuna floodplain zones, NGT orders DMs to appear
- Outlook Business: Yamuna demarcation work complete in Noida, Ghaziabad, UP to NGT
- NGT: Progress report by Irrigation Department, UP, dated 23 May 2026, OA 569 of 2023
- NGT: Reply by DM Gautam Budh Nagar in OA 437 of 2025 (CAG on farmhouses on Hindon floodplain)
- India Environment Portal: Model Bill for Flood Plain Zoning, 1975
- Drishti IAS: Flood plain zoning
- New India Assurance: Bharat Griha Raksha policy prospectus
- Business Standard: Does your regular home insurance cover flood damage?
Updated 20 October 2026. This article is general information, not legal or financial advice; check current rules and project details before you decide.
