Yamuna drops below ‘danger mark’ for the first time in 8 days

Delhi authorities still had concerns as the IMD issued a forecast for light to moderate spells of rain for the rest of the week.

Water levels in the Yamuna dipped below the danger mark for the first time in eight days, falling to 205.28m at 11pm, as residents of clusters and hutments on the river’s floodplains began returning to their homes.

Army and Navy personnel working on repairing the ITO Yamuna River Barrage gate on Tuesday. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

However, there remained concern among Delhi authorities as IMD issued a forecast for light to moderate spells of rain for the rest of the week.

In pics | As Yamuna water recedes, a look at aftermath of floods in Delhi

The Yamuna’s danger level is 205.33m. A Central Water Commission forecast at 6.15pm on Tuesday said the river’s level was likely to drop to 205.15m by 8am on Wednesday.

Even as the inundated areas began to dry up, officials were presented with twin challenges – roads caked with sludge and drains choked with run-off, after the Yamuna swelled up and submerged swathes of the city last week. As a result, even a short spell of rain on Tuesday was enough to flood parts of the Ring Road between Rajghat and IP flyover in central Delhi. “Before the record floods, moderate rainfall did not cause so much waterlogging,” said a Delhi government official.

The Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory asking people to stay away from the submerged Salimgarh bypass and the carriageway from Kashmere Gate ISBT towards Shanti Van. “Civic officials have been instructed to ensure the silt does not choke drains while using desilting machines. They have also been directed to lift dried silt so that it does not flow into the roads if it rained. The officials are also regularly fumigating areas to prevent water-borne diseases,” said the above quoted official.

Mohammad Iqbal, who runs a grocery shop in north Delhi’s Hakikat Nagar, said his house was filled with sludge. “Over one-foot-deep muck has been deposited on the roads of our colony. It is difficult to clean and return to our homes,” he said

“The floodwater destroyed goods in my store,” said Iqbal.

A revenue department official said that many people have returned to their homes in Yamuna Bazar and Majnu Ka Tila, two of the worst-affected areas on the river’s floodplains. Authorities, however, continued to caution people against leaving relief camps built across central and east Delhi. “The uptick in water level on Monday did not pose danger to areas other than the floodplains,” said a north district official.

Meanwhile, health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday held a high-level meeting with all departments concerned to review the state’s preparedness to tackle vector-borne diseases.

Delhi government officials said several people in flood relief camps have reported conjunctivitis, skin allergies, and fever.

“The MCD is providing medicines to people falling ill and using anti-larval sprays,” said another official.