Flooding hampers life in Ghaziabad’s Loni as Alipur embankment under repair for 24-hours

Residents have voiced concerns that the embankment has not undergone repairs for several years, making the breach an anticipated eventuality

The flood caused by the major breach at the Alipur embankment near Subhanpur has had a profound impact on the local residents and businesses in Ghaziabad’s Loni. Rahul Tyagi, a 20-year-old factory owner, tirelessly worked throughout the night to salvage his bag manufacturing factory in Tronica City’s Sector A5, striving to save his machinery and stock.

While the Alipur embankment had been containing the waters of the Yamuna River until Thursday evening, the major breach at Subhanpur has exacerbated the situation. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

According to Tyagi, he suffered a loss of approximately ₹20 lakh within the past 12 hours, and it may take at least two months to fulfil his pending orders.

“The floodwater initially affected the nearby villages and then began to inundate the industrial area of Tronica City, which houses numerous small and medium-sized units. The water entered my basement unit around 11 pm on Thursday. I mobilized all my workers and myself to salvage whatever stock we could, but significant damage was done to both stocks and machinery. We received no assistance from the administration, and the power supply was cut off due to the flooding,” said Tyagi.

While the Alipur embankment had been containing the waters of the Yamuna River until Thursday evening, the major breach at Subhanpur has exacerbated the situation. The depth of flooding varies from 3 to 8 feet in different areas and villages near the embankment, leading to various issues for residents.

“We are facing problems with electricity and water supply, and the water level has not receded since Thursday night. It continues to flow freely, and if this persists, it will further encroach upon densely populated residential areas such as Puja Colony, Ram Park, Rameshwar Park, and Khanna Nagar,” said Sachin Kumar, a resident of Tronica City.

Residents have voiced concerns that the embankment has not undergone repairs for several years, making the breach an anticipated eventuality.

“The entire crop fields and agricultural land are now submerged in floodwater. It is a massive loss for farmers. My village is adjacent to Subhanpur, where the breach occurred. Officials initially claimed that it would be plugged by Thursday evening, but there has been no significant improvement. In previous years, repairs and maintenance were carried out regularly in June before the monsoons, but that has not been the case for several years. Officials cite lack of funds, especially since the western areas are not prone to flooding. Now, faced with this situation, the officials have seen the consequences,” said Devendra Kumar from the nearby Sankrod village.

With roads and paths to the city blocked due to floodwater, many residents in affected areas find themselves stranded on the rooftops of their homes.

Amid the chaos, several villagers have sought refuge on the embankment.

“The water has encircled our villages, and the roads have been blocked as a result. We are attempting to take our families to relatives in neighboring villages. Many villagers have taken their utensils and cattle to the embankment, where they are currently staying. The authorities should address this issue, and timely intervention could have prevented the breach. Groups of villagers are maintaining night vigilance to monitor the spread of water. However, the local authorities have not approached us,” said Krishan Tyagi, former village head of Alipur village.

Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) Shalvi Agarwal said that elaborate arrangements have been made by the administration in response to the situation.

“Officials from different departments are working tirelessly, and workers are striving to plug the breach. We expect successful resolution by Saturday. We have made extensive arrangements in government schools and colleges, but so far, no locals have approached us for evacuation. Power cuts have affected several localities, including Tronica City, due to the flooding,” added the SDM.

Officials from the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department said that embankment maintenance is conducted as needed and whenever funds are available.

“The embankment is mainly impacted by the movement of heavy vehicles, which can cause deterioration. The road on the embankment has also been affected. This season, the breach was a result of heavy flooding and rainfall in upstream areas,” said Utkarsh Bhardwaj, executive engineer from the UP Irrigation Department (Baghpat division).

At least three divisions of the department, along with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and local administrations of Ghaziabad and Baghpat, have been deployed at the site for repairs.

Contrary to the SDM’s claim of no evacuation requests, officials from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reported evacuating 105 individuals, including 32 women and 25 children, from Loni.

“Our twenty teams are deployed in Loni and neighboring areas along the Yamuna River, and evacuation efforts are ongoing. Over the past three days, we have evacuated a total of 4,094 individuals and 465 livestock from areas along the Yamuna River in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. Medical and veterinary teams have also been deployed. Our senior officers are actively monitoring the ground-level situation and assessing the needs of the affected areas,” said a spokesperson from the eighth battalion of the NDRF, based in Ghaziabad.