Delhi flood: Relief camps go under

In parts of Mayur Vihar Phase-1 and Yamuna Bazaar, floodwaters pushed into tented camps by late Wednesday, leaving families scrambling once more for dry ground

Owing to the rising water levels of the Yamuna, rescue officials faced a unique predicament on Thursday – they had to evacuate people not just from their homes, but also from the very relief camps meant to shelter them.

Relief camps flooded at Mayur Vihar. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

In parts of Mayur Vihar Phase-1 and Yamuna Bazaar, floodwaters pushed into tented camps by late Wednesday, leaving families scrambling once more for dry ground.

Reeta Kumari, who had already left her home in the floodplains, said she and her family were shifted twice in three days. “The tents that were set up for us were inundated on Wednesday night. All our clothes and belongings were ruined,” she said, standing in her newly allotted camp near Akshardham.

Santla Devi, a farmer, recalled being placed in a tent near Mayur Vihar Phase-1 metro station, only to see it submerged overnight. “In all my years living near the Yamuna, I have never seen such water levels,” she said. “People panicked when the water entered the tents, but authorities moved us quickly. New shelters are being built farther away, so we are safe for now.”

Bansa, a vegetable vendor, spent Wednesday night watching the water creep into her shelter. “We haven’t slept since. The water was knee-high inside our tent,” she said at Mayur Vihar. With crops destroyed, her husband left for Azadpur mandi on Thursday to buy vegetables to resell. “We need some way to earn, otherwise we cannot survive.”

For Raju, another resident of the Mayur Vihar camp, the crisis took a toll on his children. “My son had fever yesterday, and then the tents started flooding. I had to first find safe space for the family at night and then find medicine for him in the morning,” he said.

At Yamuna Bazaar, families had already been displaced for over two weeks. Since August 19, they were housed in camps outside their locality, but by Wednesday evening, floodwaters seeped in through sewer lines and boundary cracks, drowning the rescue tents themselves.

“It was terrifying. Everyone scattered,” said Suresh Yadav, 50. Anticipating trouble, he had already sent his family back to their village three days earlier. He stayed back for work, but the dhaba he works at now lies under water.

“Initial locations were chosen for ease of people to come out easily and remain close to their houses for safety reasons. However as the water started rising, we had to shift them to other areas to avoid any loss,” said Amol Srivastava, district magistrate, East Delhi.

According to civil defence officials, at least 12,000 people have been evacuated in the past two days alone. “Around 4,000 people are currently displaced and living along roadsides near Mayur Vihar Phase-1, Akshardham and Vikas Marg. Most of them are migrants who had been living in the floodplains,” an official said.

The displaced now sleep under flyovers, on pavements, or on platforms overlooking submerged neighbourhoods. Many complained that they were not moved by the authorities but left on their own once water entered the camps.

“People have gone wherever they can– nearby localities, roofs of their houses, or the road,” said 28-year-old e-rickshaw driver Vishnu Chauhan, who now camps with his family of five on a highway platform. “The main problem is food. We haven’t received any since yesterday and are forced to buy it at high prices. I borrowed ₹1,000 just to feed my family today. On top of that, my rickshaw battery was damaged by the water, and fixing it will cost another ₹1,200.”

For older residents, the misery is familiar but no less painful. Sitting on his e-rickshaw parked on a flyover, 66-year-old Ashok Kumar stared at the drowned lanes of Yamuna Bazaar. “I was born here and have seen many floods. But no matter how many times it comes, it always leaves us helpless.”