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Yamuna recedes but fresh rain keeps Delhi on tenterhooks
The Yamuna River in Delhi has started to recede, allowing authorities to reopen several key roads that were closed due to waterlogging caused by the flooding.
The Yamuna receded on Saturday and some of the waterlogging it directly or indirectly caused cleared up, allowing authorities to reopen several key roads that were shut for days, triggering traffic chaos and forcing schools shut and prompting most offices to work from home.
At 11pm, the river flowed at 206.54m, down from 207.98m at 11pm on Friday but still well above the danger mark of 205.33m. Areas such as Rajghat, ITO area, Salimgarh underpass, parts of Mukherjee Nagar, Yamuna Bazar, Hakikat Nagar and Jaitpur were still water-logged.
Some key routes, such as Vikas Marg, Metcalfe Café Road, ISBT, Sarai Kale Khan as well as some closed parts of the Ring Road and Boulevard Road were reopened, although there was still some water on these stretches.
“As water levels in Yamuna have started receding, PWD has started pumping out the water, cleaning the roads and opening them out for traffic. ISBT and Bhairon Marg are open for traffic now. PWD is working on a war footing to ensure that roads and traffic return to normalcy as soon as possible,” revenue minister Atishi said in the morning, which was followed by other updates through the day.
The restored links included the two trans-Yamuna routes: Geeta Colony to Shanti Van and Vikas Marg. When both were shut on Friday, traffic across the river had to be funneled to NH24 and DND Flyway, leading to heavy congestion on a number of routes in and around south, east and central Delhi.
Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena said Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him and inquired about Delhi flood. “Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji called up as soon as he reached India and took a detailed account of the flood situation in Delhi information about the related efforts being made. He again instructed to do all possible work in the interest of the people of Delhi with the help and cooperation of the Centre,” LG tweeted.
The Bhairon Marg, connecting the Ring Road to Mathura Road, was reopened briefly before a wall collapsed later in the evening, flooding a nearby slum and the railway underpass on the route, needing it to be closed once more. An MCD official said that teams had been rushed to the site with machines and manpower to build a bund to stop the flow of water into the road and the slum.
Giving details of the stretches still closed for traffic, SS Yadav, the special commission of police for traffic, said both carriageways of the Ring Road stretch between Majnu Ka Tilla and ISBT, and Shanti Van and IP flyover to IP Depot, were still closed. “Salim Garh bypass is still closed. The road between old iron bridge pusta and Shamshan Ghat though were opened by late evening. As these roads are now getting commutable due to receding water level of Yamuna, we are opening these roads one by one. I hope by Saturday late night, we’ll be able to open more roads for vehicular movement,” he said.
Public Works Department (PWD) officials said they had started pumping out water to ensure more roads are opened for traffic but a spell of rain in the evening, as well as heavier ones forecast overnight, could prolong this endeavour.
“Water level of Yamuna River is receding now. The water released from the Hathnikund barrage is normal. The situation may further improve by Sunday morning. Water lever in many residential colonies is also receding. At least 25,000 people were evacuated from many affected areas during the floods, and 22,803 were brought in 44 relief camps,” divisional commissioner Ashwini Kumar said in a press conference.
The officer added that 60 personnel and officers of engineering group of army assisted to handle the breach of drain near ITO, where a regulator meant to stop backflow of the river into the city was rebuilt.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with all six ministers to discuss the flood situation and assigned the flood-hit districts of the capital for each to supervise during relief and rehabilitation work. “South east district has been assigned to Kailash Gahlot, East district to myself (Saurabh Bharadwaj), north east district to Atishi, central district to Imran Hussain, and Shahdara to Gopal Rai. The ministers will oversee all relief and rehabilitation work. Orders have been issued to officers of the district concerned to report to these ministers,” irrigation and flood control minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said after the meeting with CM.
As floodwaters began receding, a new problem showed up: high density of mud was being left behind. “The water has receded from a large patch of the Ring Road from Majnu Ka Tilla to Kashmere Gate stretch, but the Bela road along which several bungalows are located is still flooded. The water needs to be pumped out. The drains have been blocked and they need to be cleared. The rehabilitation work is huge and needs a coordinated exercise,” said a Delhi government official, who asked not to be named.
Chief secretary Naresh Kumar on Saturday issued an order deploying 66 IAS officers and Danics officers to monitor and assist the district magistrates in the relief and rehabilitation work.
The day also saw a battle between the Delhi government and the bureaucracy. Bhardwaj, also the services minister, sought “strictest action” against chief secretary Naresh Kumar, divisional commissioner Ashwani Kumar, principal secretary irrigation and flood control department Ashish Kundra.
The AAP, which rules Delhi, continued to accuse the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Haryana government of releasing water from the Hathnikund barrage to Delhi, and not diverting the excess to Uttar Pradesh.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said, “The BJP workers are providing food to the flood-affected people even in the government relief centers. It is regrettable that the Delhi government has put the flood-affected people on the streets without proper tents, no roof over their heads, no toilets, no medical arrangements. Keeping this in mind, BJP started a medical camp at Mayur Vihar Phase 1 today and our medical cell will also run a mobile van.”
