Yamuna swallows huts, crops in Loni; 439 people, livestock evacuated

The officials of the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department said the situation in Loni is unprecedented as the river is flowing 3.1 metres above the danger level of 209 metres at the site

Sri Dayal, 55, who hails from Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh, has been staying on the Alipur embankment since the past three days after the Yamuna waters started to rise in Ghaziabad’s Loni and carried away his crop and temporary shelter on the floodplains, opposite Pychara village.

The revenue department officials said about 1,000 hectares of agricultural land has been affected in Loni by the rising waters. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The revenue department officials said about 1,000 hectares of agricultural land has been affected in Loni by the rising waters.

Dayal said he sent his wife and two children back to their native village and he is standing ground on the Alipur embankment.

“There is water everywhere. I’m staying on Pushta since the past three days and all crops, including vegetables, and even my hut have been washed away by the flood waters. About 35 such huts were washed away when the water level suddenly started to rise about night three days ago. About 150 of us, including our families, are staying on the embankment. I sent my wife and children back to Ghazipur. All our utensils, rations and tents got washed away. I could only manage to pick up a few items and somehow reach the embankment,” Dayal said.

The officials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said that they have deployed teams in Badapur village and one team in Loni.

“In all, our teams in Badarpur have evacuated 439 people from the Badarpur village near Loni and also livestock. Two boats have been deployed there and one team has been deployed in Nauraspur in Loni. Our personnel are continuously trying to evacuate people to higher ground. Some locals are still trying to stay at home as the rainfall activity has reduced and they expect the water level to recede soon. Our teams will stay till the time the administration tells us that the situation is safe and under control,” said PK Tiwary, commandant of the eighth battalion of NDRF, based in Ghaziabad.

The officials of the irrigation department said flood sighting teams have also been deployed.

“Our flood sighting teams are patrolling the area round-the-clock and keeping a tight vigil. We expect no more rise in the water level as the discharge from Haryana’s Tajewala and Hathini Kund Barrage has reduced and the effects of the reduction will be seen within the next 72 hours,” said an official of the irrigation department, asking not to be named.

Like Sri Dayal, Shyam Bihari, a native of Varanasi, also lost his crop and house to the flooding Yamuna.

“The rising water level made a hissing sound and started to increase in volume. This alerted me and I woke up to find water in my hut. I alerted my family and we picked up every possible item and waded to safety using a torch. I invested about ₹1.6 lakh for farming here and my entire crop has been damaged. Only the upper portion of my hut is visible from the embankment; it is only a matter of time before even that is swallowed by the river,” Shyam Bihari said.

“Over the past years, the water level rises only for 24 hours and then recede. But this time, the situation is different and there is no sign of water receding even after three days. Now, we have to take help from our villagers who provide us food and water. Many of us remain awake at night and keep checking the water level. The water is only couple of feet away from breaching the embankment. We feel helpless,” he said.

The geography of the embankment is such that some villages are under the jurisdiction of Delhi while others are in Ghaziabad and it becomes difficult to separate them visually.

Badarpur is one of such village which is in the jurisdiction of Delhi while a part of it falls under the Ghaziabad district. Villages such as Badarpur, Paychara and Nauraspur are close to the Yamuna and sand mining licences are given for these parts.

“The village is is flooded for the third day now. I have six children, wife, parents and brothers. I have suffered crop damage and most of the ration stocked in our house has been washed away. I am now staying in a tent set up by authorities while our cattle and belongings are on the embankment. I sowed coriander, radish etc and everything is lost. The water in 2013 was high but nowhere near what we are seeing now. Some boats have also been deployed by authorities to rescue people. Some are staying on top of the panchayat office,” said Mohammad Riyasuddin, a resident of Badarpur.

Hari Pratap Singh, tehsildar, Loni, said, “About 1,000 hectares of agricultural land has been affected in Loni and we are assessing how many people have been affected.”

Shalvi Agarwal, subdivisional magistrate, Loni, said teams of the district administration are camping at the site and keeping a 24-hour vigil.

“The water level has not breached the embankment as yet. We have about nine villages which are affected in Ghaziabad. The water entered the agricultural fields and a proper assessment will be done in the coming days when the water recedes. We have flood shelters and some inter-colleges and panchayat offices have been converted into shelters. There is no report of casualty at present,” the SDM said.

By evening, the Alipur embankment suffered a breach near Subhanpur, the second one since Wednesday.

“This has resulted in the flooding of nearby localities and teams have been rushed to the site to bridge the gap. The breach is about five metres wide and teams are trying to control it. The site is near the Ghaziabad and Baghpat border,” Hari Pratap Singh, tehsildar, Loni, said.