Delhi: Families flee with little as Yamuna swells past danger mark

Evacuations were carried out in low-lying areas including Old Usmanpur, Garhi Mendu, Yamuna Bazar, Majnu ka Tilla camp, Nigambodh, Geeta Colony, and Khadar.

The entrance to Monastery Market was under waist-deep water on Wednesday afternoon. Rescue boats pulled up outside the rows of shuttered shops, dropping off evacuees and turning back immediately to collect more. Shopkeepers clutched salvaged bags, while some waded or swam through the lanes to reach their flooded stalls.

A man with his vehicle was stuck in the floodwaters at Yamuna Khadar, near Mayur Vihar, on Wednesday. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

“Hundreds are still stuck in the colonies behind the market,” said Gagandeep Bhasin, a shoe and bag seller who recalled bracing for similar scenes during the 2023 floods. “We began moving stock early in the morning. By 10am, the water had risen dangerously.”

Among those ferried out was 25-year-old Pinky Shamila, who had never experienced the Yamuna’s fury before. “There was panic in the building as the water kept rising. I was told to carry only one small bag,” she said, heading towards Majnu ka Tilla to stay with a friend. “My neighbours helped, but I kept wondering what to leave behind.”

For Prabhat Kumar and his wife, evacuation was complicated by their two-year-old child. “We just bought books, a study table, toys, clothes for our child… If we lose them, we cannot afford to replace them,” Kumar said. He left his wife and child in safety and returned by boat to salvage some belongings.

Loss weighed heavily on traders too. “I was here in 2023 as well. You think it gets easier the second time, but it doesn’t,” said Jamyamg, who goes by one name. “I moved half my stock to my sister’s home, but not in time. Some of it is gone and I’m going to have to bear some losses. The market will suffer.”

Monastery Market is among the many places where evacuation drives continued as the Yamuna level reached 207.39 metres by 8pm on Wednesday. The Central Water Commission warning of further rise by Thursday morning.

Evacuations were underway in multiple low-lying areas—Old Usmanpur, Garhi Mendu, Yamuna Bazar, Ladakh Budh Vihar, the Pakistani Hindu refugee camp near Majnu ka Tilla, Nigambodh, Geeta Colony floodplains, Madanpur Khadar and Jaitpur.

In fact, evacuations had started as early as late Monday itself in several neighbourhoods, including Geeta Colony, after authorities warned of a surge in the Yamuna’s level following heavy discharge from Haryana’s Hathnikund barrage.

Along the riverbanks, families took shelter under flimsy tents hastily pitched on the roads, most of their possessions abandoned to the flood. What little they managed to save lay soaked outside the shelters, pounded by rain.

Near Signature Bridge, residents of the nearby Pakistani camp—a settlement of Pakistani Hindus—had little choice but to put up makeshift tents to shelter from the downpour. Further south, along National Highway-9, rows of government-issued white tents stretched into the distance, housing scores of evacuees from Yamuna Khadar.

Rising waters from the Yamuna and Hindon have forced families in Gautam Budh Nagar to abandon homes and farms, moving with their cattle to higher ground. Villages near Sectors 128, 150 and 155 lie inundated, with crops and farmhouses under water. Nearly 600 residents and 1,400 cattle have been shifted to 15 relief shelters, where officials say food, water and medical aid are being provided.

“Women, children and even livestock are being moved to safer ground. Officials have been directed to maintain round-the-clock vigil and respond swiftly to any emergency,” said GB Nagar district magistrate Medha Roopam.

In Faridabad, 27 villages have been hit by flooding, with 14 marked highly vulnerable. Preliminary reports show around 250 homes partially submerged, while crop and livestock losses are still being assessed. Officials said relief teams and volunteers are working round the clock to protect lives and property, with boats deployed to deliver essentials and rescue stranded families. As the Yamuna’s waters continue to rise, with seven relief camps now shelter over 160 people, said district authorities.

“Our top priority is to move families to safe zones, provide relief materials, and ensure medical services are available at all times,” said Faridabad deputy commissioner Vikram Singh.

The Yamuna crossed the 206-metre mark on Tuesday evening—the first time this monsoon—forcing over 10,000 people to flee their homes overnight. Historical records show the river has breached the 207-metre level only four times in 63 years, most recently in July 2023, when it rose to an unprecedented 208.66 metres, submerging swathes of Delhi.

This week’s floods have reopened that wound. For those clambering into boats with hurriedly packed bags, the fear was not only of water but of what would be left when it recedes.