In historic deluge, Delhi flood control room abuzz with activity

The central flood control room in Delhi has been inundated with complaints about flooding and other issues caused by record high water levels in the Yamuna River. Officials are working tirelessly to address the concerns and coordinate with other departments to resolve the problems.

Since Wednesday night, the Irrigation and Flood Control Department’s central flood control room in central Delhi’s Shastri Nagar has been swamped with complaints. Nine officials working in the room barely take breaks and their phones buzz constantly.

The I&FC control room in the thick of the action. (HT Photo)

Two officials first note down the complaints. They then call the officials from the departments concerned that can resolve the issue. Until 4pm on Thursday, the control room received 42 complaints in total. They get complaints about people getting stranded, waterlogging, wall collapses and drainage issues among others.

On normal days, there is little to no activity in the room. But as the surging water levels in the Yamuna touched a record high on Thursday, officials got more and more calls. Fresh numbers on the water level at the Old Yamuna Bridge were coming in every hour.

The control room has boards that showcase the gauge (in metre) and the discharge (in cusecs) for each of Delhi’s 16 stations. Another board displays phone numbers of other departments. An official from Delhi Jal Board, BSES, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) are present in the room. The three are tasked with forwarding the complaints to officials who can resolve the issue in their departments. One of them said, “Based on an office order, we were deployed here in rosters. I have not worked in this room earlier.” Another official whose shift was over said, “I cannot get up from my desk until the next person starts his shift.”