More than 3,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas of Delhi on Sunday after the water level in the Yamuna river continued to rise, reaching its highest point in five years, the Hindustan Times reported. The Delhi government has declared an emergency in the low-lying floodplains of the Yamuna.
“The water level touched 205.5 metres around 5 pm on Sunday,” an unidentified official of the Irrigation and Flood Control department said. “The last time it breached the 205 metre-mark was in 2013, when the water level touched 207.3 metres.” The water level is likely to increase to 206.6 metres over the next 48 hours.
Haryana has released around 6 lakh cusecs of water from the Hathnikund Barrage after heavy rain. The water takes around 72 hours to reach Delhi.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal directed Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot to make adequate arrangements to accommodate street dwellers affected by the flooding.
An unidentified government official said around 550 tents have been set up to accommodate the affected people, Hindustan Times reported. “Food, water and other amenities such as electricity and toilets are being provided,” the official said. “Some people are unwilling to shift.”
But the India Metrological Department said the intensity of rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will reduce in three to four days, which could improve the situation in Delhi.
Meanwhile, the Old Yamuna Bridge was closed on Sunday after the water level in the river continued to rise, PTI reported. As many as 27 passenger trains were cancelled and seven trains were diverted on Monday morning after the Indian Railways closed it for rail traffic as well, ANI reported.
However, Nitin Chowdhary, the chief public relations officer for Northern Railway, said on Monday that the rail traffic had been restored as the water level is safe enough for trains to pass. “Railway engineers are constantly monitoring the bridge,” he said.
The Aam Aadmi Party government set up a flood control room and a 24-hour emergency operation centre to monitor the situation, unidentified officials said on Sunday.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had held an emergency meeting with top officials on Sunday to evaluate the situation. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia visited low-lying areas and urged people to move to safer areas.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also held an emergency meeting with senior officials, and asked them to be alert to deal with any untoward situation. He also conducted an aerial survey of the Hathnikund Barrage, PTI reported.
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