Despite dire conditions, some would rather move to higher floors of buildings than transfer to rescue camps
Post Date – 11:37 PM, Thursday – July 23rd 13th
New Delhi: As the water level of the Yamuna River rose to record highs, Delhi’s roads turned into rivers, flooding homes, medical facilities, crematoria, temples and shelters, causing great suffering to the people.
Despite the dire conditions, some would rather move to the upper floors of buildings than transfer to rescue camps. Many people could be seen frantically trying to save their gas stoves and essentials from the rising waters.
Amid the floods, the Delhi government is facing a shortage of drinking water after it closed three water treatment plants in Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Oklah due to rising water levels in the Yamuna River. It decided to reduce water supply by 25%. The problem.
Several vehicles were abandoned in flood waters under a railway bridge near Dejita Colony and in the Lohapur and Yamunabazar areas.
Several key areas of Delhi, including the secretariat, which houses the offices of the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues, were flooded on Thursday as authorities scrambled to lead the rescue effort.
A tourist bus carrying 40 to 45 passengers was partially submerged in an underpass near the secretariat, and authorities rushed to rescue it immediately after receiving a distress call.
The waters of the Yamuna also reach the walls of the iconic Red Fort, and people navigate waist-deep and in some cases neck-deep water.
Severe flooding was also reported in Rajghat, where a driveway in Vikas Marg was partially flooded.
Twelve National Disaster Relief Force teams equipped with inflatable boats, ropes and other equipment continued rescue and evacuation efforts alongside the Delhi Fire Service and police on Thursday.
People in the Abbey Market area, which was flooded Wednesday, had moved to the second and third floors of the building and were reluctant to move, according to officials.
A team from the North Delhi Police rescued 60 nursing students who were stranded in Dandi Ashram while 80 people were rescued from the old Usmanpur area with the help of boats. Some 738 people and 556 cattle were rescued in another district of Usmanpur, northeast of Delhi.
At 6pm on Thursday, the water level in the Yamuna River rose to a staggering 208.66 metres, sharply breaking the previous record of 207.49 metres, set 45 years ago.
Flooding at the Kashmir Gate bus terminal has forced the Delhi Transport Department to terminate buses from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and other parts of the Sinhu border. The Hanuman Temple at Kashmir Gate was also flooded.
The Delhi Municipal Corporation issued a warning on Wednesday asking people not to go to Nigambodh Ghat for last rites. Crematoriums in the Gita colony were also closed due to rising water levels in the Yamuna River.
The Delhi Municipal Body has advised people to take the remains of their loved ones to other crematoria on Panchkuian Road, Sat Nagar, Punjabi Bagh, Green Park, Dakshinpuri or preferably in their vicinity.
Authorities were forced to transfer 40 patients to the LNJP hospital after the gates of the government-run Sushruta Trauma Center in Delhi were flooded, officials said.
Water also entered two shelters of the Delhi Urban Housing Improvement Board at Gandhi Park in Old Delhi and Yamuna Bank in Jittaght – the hardest-hit area of the capital – causing residents to be evacuated.
In East Delhi, near the Yamuna River, parts of Boat Club, Pandav Nagar, Gandhi Nagar and Bhajanpura were flooded. Still, locals in some areas are reluctant to move out of their homes, officials said.
Parts of the posh Civil Line area, home to Raj Niwas and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence, were also flooded. Major agencies such as the Office of the Labor Commissioner and the Office of the Transportation Commissioner are also located here.
The vehicle fitness center in Burari was also flooded, prompting authorities to close it until July 15. During this closure, there will be no penalties for vehicles with expired fitness certificates, officials said.
