Yamuna Floods Swathes Of Capital After 45 Years

Surging waters of the Yamuna marooned vast swathes of the Capital on Thursday, forcing thousands of people out of their homes, inundating landmarks and arterial roads in the city, and throwing traffic out of gear in what was the first floods in the Capital in 45 years.

- Alok KN Mishra

From bungalows in Civil Lines to the iconic archways spanning the Salimgarh underpass, from the perennially choked Kashmere Gate bus station and intersection to the Yamuna Bank Metro station; and from the shanties of the Yamuna Pushta to within 100 metres of the chief minister’s residence, columns of water swished around on roads and inside neighbourhoods, forcing the authorities to deploy 47 boats and rafts to rescue people.

Lalit Lal, a resident of Civil Lines whose bungalow was flooded, said, “I have been living in this place for last 40 years. I never saw such level of water in this area. Over 50 bungalows have been flooded. People have shifted to higher floors, many left on their own. We are also leaving.”

The deluge also forced the closure of three water treatment plants, prompting the government to ask people to conserve water and announce rationalising of water supply to deal with the looming shortage. The Delhi government closed schools, colleges and universities till Sunday, asked people to not step out of their houses and called for offices to allow their staff to work from home as rescue personnel scrambled to pull people to safety. The Yamuna touched 208.66 metres, the highest level ever recorded and more than three metres above the danger mark. On Wednesday, the river had swelled to 208.08 metres at 11pm, breaking the previous record of 207.49 on September 6, 1978, the last time the city suffered floods.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, lieutenant governor VK Saxena, revenue minister Atishi, chief secretary Naresh Kumar and other officials attended a Delhi Disaster Management Authority meeting. “All government offices, barring those which cater to essential services, will work from home. We are issuing advisories to private offices to work from home as much as possible,” he said after the meeting.