Govt Issues Advisory, Declares Yellow Alert: 10 Things On Delhi Floods

Delhi has been facing a flood-like situation for the past few days. Schools shut down, and roads turned into rivers, forcing people to stay indoors. Reportedly, 15 people have died, and thousands shifted to safe zones. However, with heavy rainfall and Yamuna water levels rising, Delhi may continue to witness a flood-like situation. 

Delhi Floods: 10 Things To Know

The Yamuna water levels broke a 45-year-old record, surpassing 208.53 meters, crossing the estimation of 207.99 meters, as per the Central Water Commission. The area near the Old Yamuna Bridge, known as Loha Pul, also witnessed flooding. 

342 trains were fully or partially cancelled in the past five days from July 9 to 13 due to increasing water levels in the Yamuna River. 

For now, the weather department predicted Delhi to witness light to moderate rain on Friday. However, a yellow alert has been issued for July 15. 

Delhi is facing waterlogging in the city's low-lying areas. 4,500 police deployed in all areas of Delhi. Despite repeated requests, NDRF was not called at night, alleged AAP. However, Union MoS Home Nityanand Rai stated instead of doing politics, work. He claimed 15 NDRF teams have been deployed in Delhi, so far, rescued 4,346 people and 179 animals. 

This breach is causing flooding of ITO and surroundings. Engineers have been working whole nite. I have directed the Chief Secretary to seek help of Army/NDRF but this shud be fixed urgently https://t.co/O8R1lLAWXX

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 14, 2023

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the closure of schools and water treatment plants. Reportedly, Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla water plants have to be closed, due to which a drinking water crisis has arisen. 

According to experts, Delhi is flooding because of multiple factors. The one is the encroachment of floodplains and heavy rainfall in a short time. The expert also highlighted that increased Yamuna water levels played a major role in the flooding.

Another factor is the release of water from Hanthnikund. As per the HT report, officials Central Water Commission stated that the water released from the Hanthnikund barrage took less time to reach Delhi than usual. High siltation could be another reason for Delhi flooding. 

Delhi also recorded the wettest July in 40 years. On 9 July, Sunday at Delhi recorded 153 mm of rain.

The other states, including Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, also received heavy rainfall causing flood-like situations. 

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