Over 8,000 shifted to relief camps amid rising Yamuna level

More than 8,000 people across six districts of Delhi have been shifted to flood relief camps as the Yamuna river continued to swell on Wednesday, touching 207.09 metres at the Old Railway Bridge by 6 p.m., up from 206.4 metres in the past 24 hours.

The Central Water Commission reported a discharge of over 1.68 lakh cusecs from the Hathni Kund Barrage at 3 p.m., warning that the river level could cross 207.40 metres by night. Late on Tuesday, a section of the Mungeshpur drain in Bahadurgarh in Haryana’s Jhajjar district was damaged, pushing floodwaters into villages and unauthorised colonies near Delhi’s south-west border. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta spoke with her Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini around midnight, after which repairs were initiated and rescue operations launched.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, water began inundating Jharoda village and nearby colonies, forcing the evacuation of 2,000 people. They were transported in DTC buses to shelters at Baba Haridas Temple and an MCD school in Jharoda.

“Delhi officials are actively assisting in reconnecting the drain, working jointly with their Haryana counterparts. Work is being carried out on a war footing and the situation will normalise soon,” Ms. Gupta said. Police and NDRF teams joined the overnight rescue and shifted residents to safer locations.

‘Lives on pause’

Roughly 10,000 people in low-lying areas are affected once the Yamuna crosses 206 metres. At the Old Railway Bridge, the ‘warning level’ is 204.5 metres, ‘danger level’ 205.33 metres, and ‘evacuation level’ 206 metres. 

Water has entered homes and shops in Mayur Vihar, Yamuna Bazar, and Geeta Colony. “Our lives have come to a pause, and it is us who are asked to evacuate overnight,” said Rakesh Kumar, 42, relocated to a tent in Mayur Vihar Phase-1. “If it rains heavily for a few hours, we will be homeless again,” said Runi Devi, 38, of Geeta Colony. A total of 38 relief camps with 522 tents across 27 sites are housing 8,018 people, while 13 permanent shelters accommodate 2,030 others, with 180 still to be shifted.

In Yamuna Khadar, farmer Tejram Singh said men were staying outside while women and children sheltered in tents. His daughter Nishu, a Class 12 student, said she had wrapped her books in plastic in anticipation. “We remember 2023 well. Our house goes underwater every year,” she said. Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh  urged calm. “Even if the level reaches 209 metres, water won’t enter Delhi. We don’t think such a situation will arise,” he said.