Delhi Floods: Several Areas Still Waterlogged, Schools Closed. Yamuna Level To Recede Today. Key Points

Many areas across Delhi continue to be waterlogged as rising level in Yamuna floods the town. Here are the top developments on the flood situation in Delhi.

Delhi is facing a severe flood situation leading submergence of several low-lying areas after incessant rainfall broke all records in the national capital. Later, Haryana releases over 2 lakhs cusecs of water from the Hathni Kund barrage leading to a rise in the water level of the Yamuna river which is now flowing at around 207-28 metres. The Yamuna crossed the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday. CM Arvind Kejriwal, LG Vinay Saxena and Delhi cabinet ministers have been visiting the waterlogged areas to take stock of the situation. Here are the top ten developments on Delhi's flood situation.

Delhi Floods — 10 Points

• The Shanti Van area of Delhi continues to be waterlogged creating problems for the general masses. Several areas of the city are reeling under flood and water-logging as the water level of river Yamuna continues to rise. Waterlogging continued near Supreme Court, Rajghat and ITO roads. The Anguri Bagh area near Red Fort is also heavily flooded. 

 

• With Yamuna levels rising to a record high flooding areas near the inundated river floodplains, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority directed that all non-essential government offices, schools and colleges in the city be closed till Sunday. Private establishments across the city have been advised to work from home. The decision was made at the DDMA meeting held at the LG Secretariat here. All schools, colleges and universities are being closed till Sunday, Kejriwal told reporters after the meeting.     

 

• Chief Minister Kejriwal warned of chances of an acute water shortage in the city. "There is going to be an acute shortage of water since three treatment plants are closed. There could be a shortage of 25 per cent water so ration will have to be done," he said. 

 

• A regulator of the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Department suffered damage near the Indraprastha bus stand and the WHO Building on Drain No 12, exacerbating the already dire situation on Thursday. According to PTI, the compromised regulator allowed the Yamuna water to flow back towards the city, intensifying the challenges faced by residents. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal swiftly took action, directing immediate reinforcements to be dispatched to the site, according to a statement. Meanwhile, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj rushed to the scene to oversee the evolving situation. 

 

• The water level in Yamuna stabilised after reaching 208.62 metres, smashing the all-time record set 45 years ago by a significant margin. As water from the Yamuna inundated more areas of Delhi and rescue efforts intensified, the city stared at a drinking water shortage. As per a PTI report, the Delhi government said the inundation of a pump house at Wazirabad impeded operations at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants, leading to a 25 per cent drop in water supply. 

 

• As per PTI, Central Water Commission (CWC) Director Sharad Chandra said the rate of water flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana dropped to 80,000 cusecs at 4.00 pm. At 6 am, Yamuna water levels stood at 208.46 metres, slightly lower than Thursday night's 208.66. The CWC has predicted that the water levels will fall on Friday and could reach 208.30 metres by 1 pm. 

 

• Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him up over the phone from France to enquire about the flood and waterlogging situation in the national capital. He also dialed Home Minister Amit Shah who apprised him of the situation in Delhi with regards to the flood situation and the rescue work. This comes as the Water level of the Yamuna River is reported to be decreasing in Delhi as the water reached 208.63 meters at 10 pm.  

 

• PM Modi, who is in Paris for his two-day France visit dialled LG Saxena to ask about the Delhi flood situation. "Honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji called from France to enquire about the waterlogging and flood situation in Delhi and the efforts being made to deal with it," Saxena said in a tweet in Hindi.  

 

• As per news agency ANI, PM Narendra Modi also spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the flood-like situation in parts of Delhi because of the rising water level of the Yamuna River. Shah briefed him that the water level is likely to recede in the next 24 hours and is keeping a close watch on the situation along with the LG Delhi. A sufficient number of NDRF teams have been deployed to conduct rescue and relief operations and help the people in need, ANI reported Home Minister's Office (HMO) as stating. 

 

• Around 2,000 people and over 700 cattles were rescued to safer locations after Yamuna's water overflowed into land along its banks in Noida and Greater Noida on Thursday, officials said, even as NDRF, SDRF, and PAC personnel were engaged in relief operations. Top administration and police officials, including District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma, took to inflated boats as they waded through low-lying areas of the floodplains of Yamuna, which have been submerged, to review the situation.