With the water level of the Yamuna receding, Delhi government agencies have begun cleaning operations in parts of the Capital that were inundated with floodwaters, as those affected count their losses and return to their shops and homes. While the Public Works Department (PWD) started pumping out water and clearing the sludge on roads, shopkeepers have also begun shelling out money and roping in private workers to clean their shops.
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With the water level of the Yamuna receding, Delhi government agencies have begun cleaning operations in parts of the Capital that were inundated with floodwaters, as those affected count their losses and return to their shops and homes. While the Public Works Department (PWD) started pumping out water and clearing the sludge on roads, shopkeepers have also begun shelling out money and roping in private workers to clean their shops.
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In north Delhi, water receded from houses at Civil Lines and Monastery Market, leaving behind heaps of sludge. PWD workers were seen pumping out water in these areas.
Shopkeepers in these areas said they have suffered heavy losses, adding that the scale of destruction was unprecedented. “We are paying private contractors and getting the market cleaned. Until the mud is cleared, we cannot open our shops. The water supply continues to remain disconnected. The electricity connection also needs to be resumed. Every shopkeeper here has incurred losses amounting to lakhs, and now we have to pay to get back on our feet and resume work,” said Salahuddin, a shopkeeper at Monastery Market.
HT reached out Delhi government agencies over these concerns of residents and shopkeepers but did not get a response.
Gagandeep Bhasin, who runs a handbags and shoe shop at Civil Lines, spent Sunday overseeing cleaning operations at the market. Bhasin’s shop is packed to capacity with handbags and shoes, none of which could be retrieved before the onset of flooding. “None of us had anticipated that the water level would rise so high. My shop is packed with goods and unless the market is cleaned, I won’t be able to open the shop and assess the extent of the damage. Since the government has not sent any help, we had to engage private workers to clean the market,” said Bhasin.
While a temple and some patches of Bela Road at Civil Lines remain waterlogged, the water has receded from the Sushruta Trauma Centre. At Kashmere Gate, PWD workers were seen pumping out water from the ISBT. While the Yamuna’s water levels have fallen, the ISBT premises continue to be waterlogged. “I was under the impression that the bus terminal would have started functioning by now. However, no buses are plying. Autos are charging excessively but we have no other option,” said Raju Kumar, who regularly travels between Delhi and Karnal.
At Yamuna Bazar — among the first areas to be flooded — houses continue to be submerged as residents spend their days in the tarpaulin tents of a relief camp set up in the vicinity.
Rumi, a Yamuna Bazar resident, said that the flood situation had thrown life of gear for the family as her husband has been unable to go to work. She said that although the government is proving food at the relief camp, nights were difficult due to mosquitos and the humidity. “My little children struggle to sleep at night. We are praying that the situation improves and we can return soon,” said Rumi.
At Mayur Vihar Pushta in east Delhi, scores of individuals continue to live under flyovers and on service roads as they plan a return to their homes in the days ahead. Residents said although the water has receded from their homes, their farms are still submerged. Anuj Shah, a farmer, said, “We had planted ladyfinger, ridge gourd, and gour. The crops are destroyed now. We will have to start afresh,” said Shah.
Also read: Delhi govt to pay ₹10,000 compensation to each flood-affected family, announces Kejriwal
In southeast Delhi’s Jaitpur and Batla House, some families are heading home as the water level begins to recede, making a way through the sludge with the belongings that they fled with. “My family visited our house today and the water level has decreased. However, the remaining water and mud need to be cleared. We don’t think there will be any help from the government. We are on our own. My family members have already started the cleaning process,” said Shehzadi, a resident of Dhobi Ghat in Batla House.
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