Shruti Suman
New Delhi
During the night, the water in the Yamuna River in Delhi continued to rise, which led to homes and roads getting flooded. Emergency measures are being taken.
At 7 am today, the water in the Yamuna River reached 208.46 meters. This happened because the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana kept releasing water into the river. This water level is three meters above the dangerous mark.
The government led by Arvind Kejriwal asked the central government to intervene and stop the water discharge from the barrage. However, the central government responded by saying that the excess water from the barrage needed to be released.
The barrage got filled up due to heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, which is further north. The monsoon season caused a lot of damage there.
The Ring Road in the Civil Lines area is now flooded, and the stretch connecting Majnu ka Tila with Kashmiri Gate ISBT is closed. This area is only 500 meters away from Chief Minister Kejriwal’s house and the Delhi Assembly.
Because of the rising water level, the water treatment plant in Wazirabad has been closed. Chief Minister Kejriwal plans to visit this area later in the day. In response to the flooding, the Chief Minister announced that all schools, both government and private, will be closed.
In a morning tweet, the Chief Minister asked people to avoid flooded areas and said that the administration is evacuating those areas. He requested citizens to cooperate with the evacuation efforts. Saving lives is important, and he appealed to all Delhi residents to help each other during this emergency.
The Central Water Commission said that the water flow from the Haryana barrage is expected to decrease starting from 2 pm.
There are 12 teams from the National Disaster Response Force on the ground, conducting rescue operations.
Even though the capital hasn’t had heavy rainfall recently, the water discharge from Haryana into the Yamuna River has caused a lot of difficulties for residents living near the river. Many people have had to leave their homes because water has rushed in. Because of the floods, thousands of people have been moved to safer places, and gatherings are not allowed in vulnerable areas.
