PRAYAGRAJ, July 5 -- As the monsoon intensifies, thousands of families living in illegal constructions across 40 low-lying localities of Prayagraj are once again facing the threat of flooding and displacement, exposing years of unchecked encroachments in the city's floodplains despite court restrictions. An order of the Allahabad high court in 2011 prohibited construction within 500 metres of the highest flood level (HFL) along the Ganga. However, large-scale construction continued over the years, with officials and field staff of the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA), responsible for enforcing the ban, failing to curb encroachments. PDA secretary Vineet Singh admitted that lapses by the authority over the years could not be denied. However, he said he had only recently taken charge and was not in a position to comment in detail on the issue. Irrigation department executive engineer RK Singh said that, following directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the department had completed demarcation of the highest flood level recorded over the past 100 years along the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh. The second and final phase of the exercise, covering the stretch between Ballia and Kanpur, has also been completed. "At several locations in Prayagraj, HFL demarcation has already been done. The government now has to take a policy decision on existing constructions within the HFL zone and the measures required to prevent future construction in prohibited areas," he said. He added that similar demarcation work along the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh is still underway. Officials said nearly Rs.55 lakh is spent every year on flood-relief measures, including setting up camps for displaced families, distributing food packets and hiring boats for evacuation. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local boatmen are also deployed for rescue operations. According to officials, much of this recurring expenditure and rescue effort could have been avoided had construction rules in flood-prone areas been enforced effectively. The scale of the problem became evident last year when floodwaters entered more than 15,000 houses in 40 low-lying localities and 21 villages across eight tehsils after both the Ganga and Yamuna crossed the danger mark of 84.73 metres on August 1. A total of 3,955 people from 989 families were shifted to 11 flood-relief camps in the city. Rescue teams, assisted by 128 boats and one motorboat, carried out round-the-clock evacuation of stranded residents. According to official estimates, the Ganga flood plain in Prayagraj stretches for around 250 kilometres. The extent of illegal construction in these areas has remained a concern for years. In February 2023, the PDA informed the state housing and urban planning department that it had identified 30,715 illegal constructions in flood-prone zones of Prayagraj, the highest number reported by any city in UP....