Delhi Floods: Crematoriums Closed In These Sites Amid Waterlogging, Mayor Says

Delhi's Mayor Shelly Oberoi provided a list of different cremation grounds and recommended people look into them while planning their funerals.

Representational Image.

Crematoriums at Nigambodh Ghat, Geeta Colony, Wazirabad, and Sarai Kale Khan have been closed owing to floods caused by the Yamuna, according to Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Friday, news agency PTI reported. The flood-like scenario in Delhi has not only disrupted life in the city, but has also swamped crematoriums along the torrent Yamuna, making it impossible for individuals who have lost loved ones to hold funerals. After breaking a 45-year old record three days earlier, water levels in the Yamuna in Delhi fell to 208.35 metres at 11 a.m. on Friday, despite the fact that some major sections of the city remained submerged.

The level further went down to 208.2 m at 5 pm.

"Due to floods in Delhi, crematoriums at Nigambodh Ghat, Geeta Colony, Wazirabad and Sarai Kale Khan are closed," Oberoi tweeted. She provided a list of different cremation grounds and recommended people look into them while planning their funerals.

Due to floods in Delhi, crematoriums at Nigam Bodh Ghat, Geeta Colony, Wazirabad and Sarai Kale Khan are closed.

Citizens are advised to consider following alternative cremation grounds: pic.twitter.com/Yz1fq1sTy9

— Dr. Shelly Oberoi (@OberoiShelly) July 14, 2023

On Thursday, after being constant for three hours, the water level began to rise and reached 208.66 metres at 7 p.m., three metres over the danger mark of 205.33 metres.

The Yamuna in Delhi reached 207.71 metres on Wednesday, breaking the previous record of 207.49 metres established in 1978.

Meanwhile, flooding flooded the Supreme Court's entrance in central Delhi and swamped the major ITO crossroads and Rajghat when the regulator of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department was broken.

Nigambodh Ghat, a popular location for final rites, is inundated, as the swelling river has left the area nearly inoperable.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi issued an advise on Wednesday urging people not to visit Nigambodh Ghat to perform final rites.

Due to the rise in Yamuna water levels, the Geeta Colony crematorium was also closed.

The civic government of Delhi has urged residents to carry their loved ones' remains to alternative cremation grounds on Panchkuian Road, Sat Nagar, Punjabi Bagh, Green Park, Dakshinpuri, or ideally in their own area.

On Thursday, images of people performing rites on a raised platform outside Nigambodh Ghat surfaced on social media, while the inside of the cremation site and the road outside were swamped by river floods.

Many people had come to retrieve the lifeless remains left after cremation, but the floods had drowned the ashes in the crematorium grounds.

On Thursday, Mayor Oberoi examined devastated regions and aid camps in the city. She examined the area near the Kashmere Gate and ITO crossroads, accompanied by MCD officials. The mayor also examined the surrounding territories of the Red Fort.

She inquired about the basic amenities available to individuals in relief camps. She stated that relief camps will be established at MCD schools as needed, and that relief camps had already been established at two schools in the Central Zone and the Narela Zone.

Delhi Traffic Updates

"Due to the present flood-like situation in Delhi, the Lok Adalat, which was scheduled to be held on July 16, 2023, is now rescheduled for July 30, 2023," Delhi Traffic Police tweeted. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Due to the present flood-like situation in Delhi, the Lok Adalat, which was scheduled to be held on July 16, 2023, is now rescheduled for July 30, 2023. pic.twitter.com/62m7FPzrvO

— Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) July 14, 2023

Due to the excess of flood water, all vehicles on Vikas Marg on both carriageways from Laxmi Nagar T-point to A point (ITO) and vice versa are prohibited from moving, according to the Delhi Traffic Police.

Commuters are recommended to avoid this section and instead use a another route, such as NH 24 through Akshardham-Nizamuddin.