Three minor children died by drowning near Mukundpur in Delhi’s north west district, said the police on Friday. The children died by drowning due to waterlogging owing to the flood situation in the national capital, they added. The bodies were sent to a hospital and investigation was underway into the matter, said the police as per news agency ANI. Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called it unfortunate said it was a "big crisis". "It is very unfortunate.. those three children went swimming in the river.. we have warned so many times that do not go near the rivers," Kejriwal said.
"This is a very big crisis..everyone should work together and not play the blame game," he added.
A drain regulator was damaged on Friday from the overflowing Yamuna river which led to water reaching the Supreme Court several kilometres from its banks and submerging the busy ITO intersection as well as Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial Rajghat.
On Friday, CM Kejriwal said that the residents of the national capital might get some respite as the overall level of floodwater is going down. "There's a bit of good news for Delhi residents. The Yamuna floodwaters are receding," he said.
"The flow of water from the Yamuna was so high that it breached the regulator and entered the city. The Yamuna water level is going down, but this regulator damage is causing waterlogging at ITO and nearby areas. Labourers and engineers worked overnight to create a mud wall [makeshift bund] to stop the water [from entering the city].” Kejriwal said.
“The army and NDRF have also joined the operation. I believe we will be able to stop the water in the next 3-4 hours," he said after inspecting the damaged drain regulator at Vikas Marg, ITO.
According to the Central Water Commission, the water level of the Yamuna at the Old Railway Bridge was 208.32 metres at noon on Friday. The water level at the spot 24 hours ago was 208.6 metres. It is likely to go down to 208.05 by 11 pm. The warning level is 204.5 metres.