After heavy rainfall over the past few days, the water level in river Yamuna has risen in Delhi and is inching closer to the highest danger level of 207.49 metres at 207.25 metres at 8 am today, triggering flood fear. This has forced the city government and the rescue and rehabilitation teams to engage in relocating those living in low-lying areas to safer locations on a war footing. A man also died of electrocution after flood water entered the slums near Yamuna river in Faridabad, PTI reported.
Earlier on Tuesday, The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘orange alert’ in Delhi after the water level of the Yamuna river breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres following the incessant heavy downpour in Delhi and surrounding areas. As of 8 pm on Tuesday, the level of river water at Old Railway Bridge (ORB) stands at 206.76 metres, ANI reported.
According to Central Water Commission's latest forecast on Tuesday at 5:30 PM, water level at ORB is expected to be at 207 metres on Wednesday at 3 AM and is likely to further increase. Forty five boats have been deployed from the Boat Club and the Irrigation and Flood Control department for awareness, evacuation and rescue work. NGOs have also been engaged for providing relief to the evacuated persons, as reported by ANI.
Road Traffic at ORB has been closed since Tuesday morning. All gates at Okhla Barrage have been kept open to release excess water so as to ensure that water level in River Yamuna does not remain at high level for long.
Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on Tuesday slammed Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena for criticising the Delhi government over waterlogging in the city. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Minister alleged that the LG has come out today for the purpose of politics. Bhardwaj claimed that though the Delhi LG himself got all the drains in Delhi cleaned in the last six months he is denying it now.
"On 8th July, Delhi received 153 mm of rain but LG visited the affected areas on 11th July. Earlier, he took media everywhere in the past six months and claimed that all nalas and Yamuna were cleaned and today he denies all this. He should help the people of Delhi and not play dirty politics," he said, as quoted by ANI.